As much as Tia Scambray loves to watch "The Notebook," these days she's glued to film of a different nature that has nothing to do with Nicholas Sparks.
Her movies last weekend starred Arizona and Arizona State players -- extra preparation that paid off for the Washington outside hitter and the espnW volleyball player of the week.
On Thursday, Scambray tied her career-best for kills with 13 in a three-set Huskies win over Arizona. The 6-foot junior blew past that mark on Sunday with a career-high 20 kills while hitting .567 in Sunday's sweep of Arizona State.
No. 8 Washington (22-4, 12-4) remains tied with UCLA atop the Pac-12 with four matches remaining. Scambray, of Dana Point, California, was also named the conference's offensive player of the week.
"We were all in the zone," Scambray said. "Everybody was doing their job. Our passing was amazing, which really was what led us to the wins."
As satisfying as Scambray's weekend was for her, it was also a good sign for the Huskies heading into the final two weeks of regular-season play. Coach Keegan Cook said Scambray hasn't produced consistent offensive numbers this season, largely because she shoulders so much responsibility in other areas.
"She's an outstanding blocker, and we go into a lot of matches trying to get her matched up against an opponent's best attackers," he said. "We ask her to do a lot on the defensive end of the ball. If you're defending against the best attacker, that means when the ball is back on your side, you're hitting against a pretty physical player at the net."
But for the last two weeks, Cook has watched Scambray's offensive numbers improve -- preparation (film) and improved focus in practice continue to pay off.
"She's become patient and aggressive," he said. "She, in particular, comes up to the film room on her own and watches film with me or one of the assistant coaches. In between classes she's up in the film room. She keeps coming to work and putting in the time."
In addition to loving to compete, Scambray enjoys the bond with teammates, many of whom she knew well long before she set foot on campus.
Scambray and fellow outside hitters Crissy Jones and Courtney Schwan met at a USA Volleyball camp at Wisconsin as eighth-graders. Her friendship with setter Bailey Tanner dates to when they were 12 years old.
"She keeps coming to work and putting in the time." Keegan Cook on Tia Scambray
Scambray, Jones and Tanner each played for TStreet Volleyball Club, where Tanner's father, Troy, is a director and coach. And yes, that is the same Troy Tanner who won gold for the U.S. in the 1988 Olympics as a player and coached Misty May and Kerri Walsh to their Olympic gold on the beach in 2008.
"We've all been friends a really long time," said Scambray, noting they each decided to come to Washington independently. "Bailey decided first and shortly after, I decided. Crissy decided later and Courtney was last."
Scambray was a wanna-be gymnast until her dad told her she was already taller than the tallest gymnast. At 7, she signed up for a YMCA volleyball camp, enthralled by the fast pace of the game. She also plays beach volleyball for the Huskies, teaming with Jones, her best buddy.
With a trip to the mountains this weekend for games at Colorado and Utah, the immediate goal is to remain atop a conference that has featured its share of upsets in 2016.
The Huskies have won 11 of their last 13, but the losses have been sweeps by Stanford and Oregon.
"I have faith in my team. We have the opportunity to win the league coming into the homestretch," Scambray said. "It's just us putting in the time and effort and making every play count. Obviously, I want to make it really far in the tournament, but right now we're focused on winning the Pac."