Volleyball gets ready for Ducks, Beavers

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore outsider hitter Allison Napier (7) bumps the ball during a match against Pittsburgh Oct. 17 at McKale Center. The Wildcats meet Oregon Friday at 7 p.m. and Oregon State Sunday at 1 p.m.

UA head coach David Rubio has warned his team not to take Oregon (6-16, 1-10) lightly, even though the Wildcats have won the last 12 meetings.

"Oregon, watching them on film, is impressive," Rubio said. "They are an extremely offensive team, with (Oregon senior outside hitter) Madeline Ernst leading the conference in almost every category offensively."

Rubio hated to sound like a broken record, but said that Oregon is much better than their record indicates.

"I wouldn't say we could beat them handily, but you do go in thinking you can win every single match," Rubio said.

"I have way too much respect for the Pac-10 teams to say that some are easy to beat."

The players are confident after playing at a high level in Sunday's loss at Pac-10 leader Stanford.

"I'd like to say see if we can sustain the level of play we had against Stanford against lesser teams this weekend," senior middle blocker Keisha Johnson Demps said. "Since it's the second time around playing them, we expect to beat them."

Sophomore outside hitter Allison Napier, after a slump early in the Pac-10 season, is breaking out and taking her game to a whole new level.

"We should win, but we should do a lot of things," Napier said. "It's going to be a big weekend, with the big football game, and for me because my parents are coming in town."

Rubio has been impressed with his team's play this week in practice, especially with Johnson Demps and Napier.

"Keisha and Alli have elevated their games to another level," Rubio said. "I saw it at Stanford and I saw it at every practice this week. That makes everyone else have to play better, and I think that's great."

Oregon State brings its 11-11, 1-10 record to Arizona this weekend, and although Arizona defeated the Beavers in four games in Corvallis, two of the games were very close.

"I don't think that we're so good, we just have to show up and the other team's going to roll over," Rubio said. "We are playing well right now, and I feel good about where the team is. Now it's just sustaining a level of consistency from match to match."

Bryan Rosenbaum can be reached via e-mail at Bryan.Rosenbaum@wildcat.arizona.edu.