Rubio finds deficiency in Stanford blocking scheme

Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore outside hitter Raelene Morton (4) gets her fngertips on the ball as sophomore middle blocker Erin Aldrich (5) tries to assist on the block. Aldrich, who has started all season long, suffered a severe ankle injury last week and won't play against Cal. She may return for No. 3 Stanford on Sunday, however.

"They're not perfect and not so much better than everyone else. They have limitations and deficiencies as does everyone else and we have to try to pick on them," he said, acknowledging the three All-Americans Stanford returns from last season and its 22-2 overall, 13-0 Pacific 10 Conference mark.

Setter Lisa Sharpley and middle blocker Kerri Walsh were first-team selections, while outside hitter Kristin Folkl was chosen for the second team.

No. 12 Arizona hosts Cal, losers of 10 of its last 11 matches, tonight at 7 at McKale Center before getting its chance against the third-ranked Cardinal Sunday at 1 p.m.

"Against Stanford we know we have to play a very good match. They're all very accomplished and all very good. To be competitive, everyone on our team has to play a good match," Rubio said.

When asked to name a flaw with the Cardinal, which has won 17 consecutive matches over the last two months, Rubio had little trouble coming up with an answer.

"Jaimi Gregory is a great player, but she's a little small, which causes a blocking deficiency," said Rubio of the 5-foot-8 sophomore outside hitter.

Both the Cardinal and Wildcats have a lot riding on this match. With a pair of wins this weekend, Stanford, who plays at Arizona Sate today, would clinch its fourth straight Pac-10 title.

"We're trying to stay away from the confusion below us. You've got four teams battling for second place, which is fine as long as we can distance ourselves from the pack," Stanford head coach Don Shaw said.

For UA, none of the players have defeated a Cardinal team. Arizona has not beat the Cardinal since 1993, a season before UA's five seniors began their careers.

"It won't be hard to get up for a match like this," senior Sara Johnson said. "Stanford is an emotional team and they are expecting us to play aggressively."

UA became the first Pac-10 team to take a game from the Cardinal when they played in Palo Alto last month.

"If a few things went differently, we could've won that match," Johnson said.

But the Cardinal outhit UA, .347 to .207 and recorded four more blocks than the Wildcats.

"It was a good, competitive match. We hadn't really been tested before that," Shaw said. "We gave them a few cheap points but we played pretty well and well enough to win, which is what matters."

"I felt like they made a lot of unforced errors, which is uncharacteristic for a Stanford team," Rubio added. "For us, we need them to be that erratic to be competitive."

Homecoming '97

UA vs. Stanford

(16-4, 8-4) (22-2, 13-0)

When: Sunday at 1 p.m.

Where: McKale Center.

TV/Radio: Televised live by Fox Sports Arizona and broadcast on KAMP Radio (AM1570).

What: UA, whose No. 12 ranking matches its best mark ever under coach Dave Rubio, has not defeated Stanford since a 1993 home victory ... UA became the first conference opponent to win a game against Stanford in a four-game loss last month.