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He's got the look

UA volleyball head coach David Rubio is young, well-respected by his players and dynamic, not to mention one heck of a dresser.

Rubio, who is in his eighth season as the headman of the women's volleyball program, tries to bring a bit of professionalism in an otherwise casual sport. His custom-tailored suits landed him in the middle of the team's poster, a parody of a Ralph Lauren advertisement.

"Traditionally, volleyball has had a stereotype and attitude that is laid-back," Rubio said. "I think it's important that we, as coaches dress well, professionally."

One could say that the 40-year-old Rubio is bringing UA volleyball to prominence in style.

Rubio started his career as a player at Cal-State Northridge, where he was the team's setter. He was in on the ground floor, as volleyball was catching on in Southern California in the early 1980s. He played on the collegiate level alongside the likes of Karch Kiraly, among others.

Rubio's pretty humble about his achievements as a player.

"I got all the stupid awards that went along with being a good player," he said. "If I were playing today, I don't think I would have won those awards. I'm too short."

After playing collegiate ball for the Matadors, Rubio coached Westlake High School in Southern California to a number of California Interscholastic Foundation championships, once making the state semifinals. While coaching on the high school level, Rubio also managed to lead a club volleyball team.

"Dave has really worked his way up the ladder as a coach," University of Pacific volleyball coach John Dunning said. "He's always worked hard to improve things he isn't necessarily an expert on."

The CIF titles, coupled with the club success, led Rubio to his first college head coaching job, leading the women's program at Cal-State Bakersfield.

While at Bakersfield, Rubio turned a 6-22 team into a national champion within three years.

"We were a Division II program, but we played in the toughest conference in the nation," Rubio said. "We really turned things around there."

Following five seasons at Bakersfield, Rubio was hired to lead the Wildcat program in 1992, following a season in which the team had finished 4-26 overall and winless in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Rubio turned the team around, finishing the 1992 campaign with a 10-17 overall record.

"When I took over, it was a challenge," Rubio said. "I just tried to build a strong foundation."

A year later, the Wildcats broke through, defeating three ranked conference teams en route to a 20-11 record, finishing the season ranked 16th in the nation.

"In 1993, we hit the ground running," Rubio said. "We beat No. 1-ranked UCLA and No. 2 Stanford in back to back weekends."

Since the 1993 campaign, the Wildcats have solidified themselves as a perennial contender for the NCAA title. UA has finished five of the last six seasons ranked in the top 25.

Following her final regular season home game, senior Raelene Elam noted the change in the program through the past 4 years.

"There's definitely been some major improvements through the years," she said. "The programs getting major recruits, more now than ever."

Rubio agrees.

"We're capable of winning a national title here," he said. "It's just like it was for men's basketball. Around here, it's about two things: recruiting and training. One doesn't go without the other."

Dunning attributes UA's success to Rubio's intensity.

"As a player, Dave would do just about anything to win games," Dunning said. "It's the same thing with coaching. He's very competitive."

Through the years, Rubio's biggest accomplishment has not been the national championship he won at Bakersfield, nor has it been his numerous CIF titles or his success at UA.

"My biggest coaching successes have been the people I've managed to influence," he said. "I don't like to think of wins and losses as measurements of accomplishment. I'm happy if my former players lead good lives. If they can go on to influence people, I've done a good job."