RUBENSTEIN DID NOT WAVE GOODBYE VOLLEYBALL STAR PASSED ON USC.Byline: ERIK BOAL Special to the Daily News Julie Rubenstein was resented with the opportunity to be part of one the great dynasties in women's college volleyball volleyball, outdoor or indoor ball and net game played on a level court. An upright net, 3 ft (or 1 m) high, the top of which stands 8 ft (2.43 m) from the ground for men, 7 ft 4 1/8 in (2. . Unfortunately for USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , her desire to add to the Rubenstein legacy at Pepperdine was more important. Like several elite high school prospects across the country, Rubenstein received a recruiting letter from Trojans coach Mick Haley, who, at the time, could seemingly seem·ing adj. Apparent; ostensible. n. Outward appearance; semblance. seem  ing·ly adv. hand-pick his next class of recruits
after leading USC to back-to-back NCAA NCAAabbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association national championships in 2002-03. The Camarillo resident respectfully re·spect·ful adj. Showing or marked by proper respect. re·spect ful·ly adv. declined the offer to join the
Women of Troy, passing up the chance to follow in the footsteps of
dominant front-line attackers Keao Burdine, Bibiana Candelas Bibiana Candelas is a volleyball player who plays the position of middle blocker for University of Southern California's Women of Troy, and serves as Captain of Mexico's Women's Volleyball National Team. , Katie
Olsovsky, April Ross and Staci Venski. Instead, Rubenstein's heart
told her to follow the same path as her parents, Jay and Garianne, and
grandfather, Gary Colson Gary Colson (April 30, 1934 – ) is an American basketball coach. The Logansport, Indiana native guided several college men's basketball teams since 1958, including Valdosta State University, Pepperdine University, University of New Mexico and California State University, , who coached Pepperdine's men's
basketball team from 1968-79.
``I remember receiving the letter (from USC), but I never really considered it,'' said Rubenstein, who will lead 20th-ranked Pepperdine (4-4) into tonight's home match -- televised live by ESPNU -- against No. 9 USC (9-0) at 7:30 p.m. at Firestone Fieldhouse Firestone Fieldhouse is a multipurpose arena located in Malibu, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. It was built in 1973 as the home of the Pepperdine University Waves basketball and volleyball teams, who still play at the Fieldhouse today. . ``Pepperdine has always been my ideal school. I couldn't see myself going anywhere else.'' Long before she learned to hammer the ball inside the 10-foot line with consistency at Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, Rubenstein fell in love with Pepperdine. Following a debut season in which she broke freshman program records for kills, kills per game, solo blocks and total points, in addition to receiving All-West Coast Conference honors, the level of admiration for Rubenstein from fans, teammates and coaches has only continued to increase in Malibu. ``She's just been playing incredible,'' Pepperdine coach Nina Matthies said. ``Her maturity level has been remarkable now that she has a whole year behind her. She's become a really good leader in the gym.'' The last time the Waves faced USC, Rubenstein led by example, recording a team-high 18 kills as part of a 30-28, 30-28, 30-23 sweep of the host Trojans in the second round of the NCAA tournament NCAA Tournament can mean: Men's Sports
``We're prepared for a battle,'' said Rubenstein, who is second on the team with 107 kills. ``We know what it's like to play well against them and we want to draw on that experience.'' In addition to the lessons learned from her previous two matches against USC, Rubenstein's freshman season offered valuable experiences that have helped her develop into a stronger player. ``Last year, she had a few tough stretches, but they were things that all freshman deal with,'' Matthies said. ``It's hard to ask them to keep that level of intensity up every single day. We had some good talks in the spring and she put in some good work, both in the gym and in the weight room.'' Rubenstein also benefited from almost two weeks of competition over the summer with the U.S. National Select team in Argentina. The opportunity only added to the rapid learning curve for the 19-year-old, who is a potential All-America candidate this season. ``She is an All-American type player,'' said Hawaii coach Dave Shoji Dave Shoji (born December 4, 1946) is Head Coach of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Rainbow Wahine Volleyball team since 1975. , after watching Rubenstein record a combined 37 kills in a pair of five-game losses to the Rainbow Wahine Rainbow Wahine is the nickname applied to women's sports teams at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The University of Hawaii teams were traditionally called "rainbows" until controversies with the name led the earlier this season. ``She didn't hit for a real high percentage, but she was a factor serving and on defense.'' Rubenstein's development as an all-around player has also boosted her confidence level, something that wavered on occasion during the tougher stretches of her freshman campaign. ``I've really been focusing on playing consistently at a high level and remaining confident,'' said Rubenstein, who led the Waves last season with 450 kills. ``I've learned that if I make a mistake, I need to put it behind me and move on. In the past, I'd dwell on dwell on or upon Verb to think, speak, or write at length about (something) Verb 1. dwell on - delay linger over it, but here there's no time to think about it.'' Rubenstein is looking to erase the memory of Saturday's seven-kill effort in a three-game loss at No. 10 Cal, snapping a personal streak of 12 consecutive matches with double-figure kills. ``She's not worrying about every little thing this year because she knows what's ahead of her,'' Matthies said. ``She's kept a really good demeanor The outward physical behavior and appearance of a person. Demeanor is not merely what someone says but the manner in which it is said. Factors that contribute to an individual's demeanor include tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures, and carriage. .'' erik.boal@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) The wealth of talent USC had on its women's volleyball team did not sway Julie Rubenstein from choosing Pepperdine. (2) Pepperdine's Julie Rubenstein enters tonight's match second on the team with 107 kills this season. Courtesy of Pepperdine |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion