Freshman Paige Weber has been Arizona's starting setter for all nine matches this season.

a.e. araiza / arizona daily star 2007

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UA volleyball coach Dave Rubio liked setter Paige Weber the first time he saw her play at a club tournament in Indianapolis.

But he figured he did not have a chance at signing her.

"I was drawn to her court by some of the other players," said Rubio, who had not heard of Weber before. "And by the time I walked away from the court, Paige was my favorite player.

"I really didn't think I had a shot at Paige, because her coach said she wanted to stay close to home. I thought for sure the Big Ten was going to keep her around."

Weber visited three Big Ten schools — Illinois, Purdue and Michigan — before deciding she needed to flee to the West Coast to play in what she considered the top volleyball conference, the Pac-10.

Although she had visits planned for Cal and Washington, Arizona was the only Pac-10 school she visited after the coaches and players won her over. She committed in October.

"Tucson is kind of centered around the university, and as an athlete, you want to feel like you're supported by people other than your team and family, and that's kind of the vibe I get when I'm here," said Weber, 18.

"Everything's different — palm trees, sand and rocks. There's a lot of sunshine, and sunshine's real nice. It's a lot better than the snow I'm used to."

Rubio said he is thankful she's here. As a freshman, Weber has been Arizona's starting setter for every match. The UA (7-2) will play in the Arizona Invitational today and Saturday at McKale Center.

"Paige is terrific," Rubio said. "Working with Paige has been a real pleasure for me. She has a really high aptitude for setting and the tactics of setting. I feel good about where she's at now, and she has a lot of room for growth. She tends to be pretty hard on herself, but that's one of the reasons why she's so good."

Weber, who was named Indiana's Gatorade Player of the Year, has joined an exclusive group at the UA.

Other setters who started as freshmen during Rubio's 16-year tenure were Stephanie Butkus (2003-06), Dana Burkholder (1998-2001) and Laura Bartsch (1992-95).

"(Weber) and Dana right now are two that can be mentioned in the same sentence," Rubio said, referring to the two-time All-American. "Dana started as a freshman on a pretty good team, and Paige is kind of the same way."

Weber beat out senior Amy Dyck for the starting spot.

"My goal was to come in and play. I didn't know exactly that I'd come in and start right off the bat. I knew I had a lot to learn," said Weber, who wants to improve her defense, blocking and understanding of Arizona's system.

Weber said she has been a setter since the sixth grade, and she studied the game by watching matches on TV, attending other high school matches and helping at every clinic her high school put on. Also a good student, she was a member of the National Honor Society at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis.

"It's like a point guard or a quarterback," Rubio said of setting. "You have to have a feel for what that position requires, and if you don't have a feel, it doesn't matter how much training you have, you're never going to be good enough to play at the highest level. She knows how to do that."

Weber also has shown she is agile despite her height of 5 feet 11 inches and size-12 feet. She practiced ballet, tap and jazz from ages 3 to 9. She also participated on her high school's dance team as a senior, "just for fun," Weber said.

"Dance helped her with her coordination, quickness and foot agility," Weber's mom, Teresa, said. "She can dance pretty well. She always thought she'd be a dancer, until she found volleyball in the fourth grade."

At the UA, Weber has taken a quiet leadership role with her older teammates.

"I don't want to overstep my boundaries because they know a lot more than I do," she said. "They know what we're going to encounter, so I'm trying to feed off them."

Weber has already impressed her teammates.

"I like her self-confidence," senior middle blocker Dominique Lamb said. "She gets frustrated, but everybody does. She puts up good balls for hitters, so she gets the job done."