Northridge Offers Job to Rubio : College volleyball: Arizona coach with strong ties to Matadors is asked to replace Ker and head women’s program.

Dave Rubio, women’s volleyball coach at Arizona, said Wednesday that he has been offered the vacant Cal State Northridge women’s volleyball job.

Northridge officials tendered a bid for Rubio, 33, late Tuesday. Reached in his office at Arizona on Wednesday, Rubio said he was “not sure what Northridge wants me to publicize.”

“I’m still turning it over,” he said. “It’s been hectic and difficult to decide what is important for me.”

Northridge officials said they would have no announcement until the job has been accepted.

Rubio has been Arizona’s coach one season. The Wildcats finished 10-17 and won four Pac-10 Conference matches last fall--an improvement from the previous season when Arizona was 4-26 and winless in conference play.

Assistant coaches Denise Corlett of Stanford, Kelley Sliva of USC and Mora Kanim of Michigan also were finalists for the Northridge job, which was vacated Jan. 6, when Walt Ker resigned.

Ker, who led the Matadors into postseason play in all 14 seasons he coached, cited family considerations as the reason for his resignation. However, a university committee had received written complaints of sexual harassment against Ker from two members of Northridge’s 1992 team.

Rubio and Ker have close ties. Rubio played for Ker at Granada Hills High and then at Northridge in 1981 and ’82. He was an assistant to Ker for the Matador men’s team in 1983 and was a women’s assistant to Ker in 1985. He was an usher at Ker’s 1984 wedding to a former Northridge player.

Before taking the Arizona job, Rubio coached at Cal State Bakersfield, where he posted a record of 120-65 in five seasons. Bakersfield won an NCAA Division II national championship in 1989, knocking Northridge out of the playoffs in a regional championship match en route to the title.

At Arizona, Rubio made $45,000 last year. Northridge advertised a salary range of $45,000-$70,000 for its position. Ker, who guided the Matadors to a 27-8 record and their first berth in the NCAA Division I tournament, was paid about $70,000 last year. His salary is believed to have been the highest of any collegiate women’s volleyball coach in the nation.

Rubio would not comment on the financial aspects of Northridge’s offer. He did say that Arizona has offered him a pay raise to stay on as coach, but then added, “Money is a factor, but it’s not a big factor.”

Rubio grew up within a few miles of the Northridge campus, and most of his family still resides in the area. He also is a friend of John Price, coach of Northridge’s third-ranked men’s volleyball team.