In the young season, the No. 21 Arizona women’s volleyball team has competed in two tournaments, and so far junior middle blocker Dominique Lamb has been awarded All-Tournament honors in both.

Judging by the way she has been performing, it is not a surprise.

As she has recently taken on the role as one of the leaders on this young team, UA head coach Dave Rubio said her presence on the court is important.

“”She has really been living up to all the expectations that we have had of her and certainly the ones she has of herself,”” Rubio said. “”She is continuing to blossom as a player, and offensively she is doing terrific.””

“”Her presence, her leadership and her personality are important,”” he said later. “”She creates such a nice environment around her. She is just a great team player for us.””

Last weekend in the Louisville Tournament, Lamb recorded averages of 3.27 kills and 0.73 blocks. She also added a career-high 17 kills en route to what Rubio called “”the biggest win of the year”” against No. 20 Louisville on Saturday.

She also ranks sixth in the Pacific-10 Conference in service aces – with 0.43 per game – and eighth in hitting percentage at .364.

And her hard work isn’t going unnoticed by her teammates.

“”She brings a really good energy to the court,”” freshman Whitney Dosty said. “”Even on or off the court, it is just really fun to play with her.””

When asked about her feelings when she got the award, Lamb was indifferent to the honor.

“”If I win it I win it, if I don’t I don’t,”” Lamb said. “”I just want to go out there, play as a team, and hopefully get a win.””

Although she is just a freshman with only three years of volleyball experience, the impact this outside hitter is having is a major one.

Already, she is averaging more than three kills per game, which is second-highest on the team. In addition, she added her career high of 17 kills to go along with Lamb’s 17, as the Wildcats upset the Cardinals.

“”She is definitely improving,”” Rubio said. “”She obviously had a great match against Louisville, and she is just going to continue to get better with time.””

But Dosty is a big piece of the puzzle of success for Arizona, as the correlation between Dosty’s performance and whether the Wildcats win the match has been evident. The freshman had just three kills in the Wildcats’ sole loss to Dayton.

As well as dealing with the pressures of playing good volleyball, she also has to deal with the hype surrounding her.

“”I don’t think she cares about that stuff,”” Rubio said. “”One of the beauties of Whitney is she just comes in, does her work, and leaves.””

And the work is starting to pay off.

“”I am just gaining some experience on the court,”” Dosty said. “”I think I am getting better with the adjustment of playing volleyball in college instead of high school.””