As the leader of the offense, the setter is volleyball's version of football's quarterback.
And senior Paige Weber is the Arizona Wildcats' Brett Favre, UA coach Dave Rubio said, as her hardiness is comparable to the 20-year NFL veteran's.
Through her four years, Weber has withstood injuries, sickness and general aches and pains to start every match and play in every set of her career. She has played in 436 consecutive sets, and if she starts the final two regular-season matches this week, and a potential NCAA tournament match, she'll tie Bre Ladd's school career record of 123 matches started. The No. 20 Cats (20-9) play at No. 4 Stanford today and at conference-leader and second-ranked Cal on Friday.
Weber credited the training staff for helping her stay healthy, as well as her own stubbornness.
"I always used to tell my parents when I was little that the only thing that would keep me out of a game is a wheelchair. I'd play in a cast if I had to," she said with a laugh. "I think I still feel that way, even at the more mature and hopefully more logical age of 22."
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Weber, an Indianapolis native, has missed just one practice during her career after she hurt an ankle earlier this season, Rubio said. She helped lead Arizona to a 3-0 victory over Arizona State despite that injury.
"She's an ironman, an ironwoman," Rubio said. "It's pretty impressive. If you get to know Paige, you're not that surprised by it."
Weber has battled a number of injuries to maintain her streak of 120 matches started. Here's a look at some hurdles she's leaped:
Shoulder: As a freshman, Weber dealt with a partially dislocated left shoulder. She said she injured it during warm-ups at the Georgia Tech match, and it bothered her some for the rest of the season. It acted up again during spring workouts before her sophomore season. She has avoided surgery, and credited the training staff for her recuperation.
Foot: Weber said she learned she had a stress fracture in her foot about three weeks after she arrived at Arizona. She played through it, accumulating the second-most assists (1,330) for a UA freshman. "There's just no excuse to not play unless you are incapacitated," she said. "There's no reason when you're hurt to not give it your best."
Hip: Weber played three or four weeks this season with a strained hip flexor. She said rest during some practices helped it heal. "It was (painful). I don't notice things like that in a game," she said.
Ankle/mid-foot: In possibly the biggest threat to her streak, Weber injured her ankle and was carted out of practice in a wheelchair three days before Arizona played ASU in October. She sat out the following practice and practiced mildly the day before the match. She still played and helped guide the Cats to a 3-0 sweep. "She's pretty tough," Rubio said.
"Her pain tolerance is pretty high."
Today
• What: Arizona at Stanford
• When: 8 p.m.
