By Kristen Davis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
December 10, 1997

Recounting the season

Arizona volleyball coach Dave Rubio and three of his players - seniors Michaela Ebben, Carrie Penfield and sophomore Erin Aldrich - sat down earlier this week to discuss the season, which ended last Saturday after a first round loss to Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament.

It's safe to say that this season, with five seniors, may have been the best chance the Arizona volleyball team had to make a tournament run in a long time. Do you feel crushed that this year did not pan out as expected?

Rubio: No. In athletics seldom does the script play out the way it was meant to play out, or the most logical way to play out. I didn't have any real high expectations of this team when we first started the season. We were just trying to make the playoffs. I wasn't sure how good we were going to be. I wasn't sure where we'd finish in the conference. The seasons always turn out differently than I think they're going to be. Despite the fact that at the end of the season we finished 10th in the country, I think every year is a different year and every year presents a different opportunity and sometimes you get a little lucky. Maybe next year we're in a different bracket and we're playing against a different team. Every year is different.

Did you think that the team would be this good at the beginning of the year?

Penfield: I remember Heidi (Bomberger) last year right after we lost to Pacific (in the second round of the NCAA Tournament) made the comment that you guys are going to suck next year and you guys are going to be nothing without (Barb Bell and I). She was rude and bitter. That (comment) rang through my mind the whole summer and the beginning of the season. Every part of me wanted to prove her wrong.

Is there a particular win that stands out in your mind?

Ebben: Washington State here stands out in my mind. It was in the beginning of the season and we were molding our team. It was a really tough match and we pulled it out. It just said a lot about our team and where we were going.

Is there a certain loss that is hard to forget about?

Rubio: I think that the biggest loss for me was the (1-15, 4-15, 3-15) USC loss at USC. I think that was one that I felt we weren't prepared to play and that was my fault. We were somewhat embarrassed because of how we lost and one of the coaches there is one of my closest friends, so I think that one loss really kind of sticks out a little bit more maybe any of the others.

Is there a moment from the season that you will always remember?

Aldrich: Once, in the locker room we were all tired and we were just joking around before we had our meeting with the coaches. We wrote 'I hate volleyball' all over the board and listed the top 10 reasons why. The number one reason was 'practice is over at 5, no 5:30, no 6:00, no 6:30, no 7:00 - well, you'll get out sometime tonight."

Erin hit her second consecutive .300 season. Do you see an even more varied offense for her in her junior season?

Rubio: Erin every year will continue to significantly get better. I think that her versatility will continue to evolve into a greater level as she gets better. Her greatest days will be if she decides to play volleyball full time. The hardest thing with Erin is that she goes back to track and won't touch a volleyball now for seven months and it takes a while to get back on the same page from a volleyball standpoint.

The outside hitters had a little bit of inconsistency toward the end. Is that a focal point to work on for next season?

Rubio: Well, we're thin next year in terms of experience. We're going to have some experience in some positions. Our setting obviously is going to be a little bit inexperienced with a freshman coming in to start. Whether it's on the right side or the left side, we're going to have most likely a freshman on one of those pins. So you have two freshman that you know are probably are going to start and so there's going to be some inconsistencies with that.

What kind of impact have the seniors left on this program?

Rubio: If I were to define what Arizona volleyball stands for, I would describe my senior group - that work ethic, the commitment to be the best, their willingness to overcome the adversities that they have to deal with every day, the dedication that is required for them to be a Division I athlete at the highest volleyball level possible - those are the things that that group has brought to Arizona. What I'm most proud of is not so much the 20-7 record. I think for me, the thing that I appreciate more than the wins and losses is that they established the norms and the standards of what Arizona volleyball is all about.

Volleyball season in review

The No. 10 Wildcats finished 20-7 overall.

Their 12-6 Pacific 10 Conference record was the best mark posted in UA history and tied for fourth place in the conference.

Arizona set a team record in single-season hitting percentage at .230, which beat the .225 mark posted in 1983.

Coach Dave Rubio got his 100th UA victory in an October match against Oregon State.

Sophomore Erin Aldrich posted her second consecutive .300 season.

Senior setter Michaela Ebben won Pac-10 Player of the Week honors last month and finished the season with a 12.10 assist per game average, the second-best mark in UA history.

Senior Carrie Penfield and Aldrich were named to the First-Team All-Pac-10 squad.