Arizona volleyball head coach Rita Stubbs emphasized that fight is something a team can always control. The Wildcats displayed that spirit Friday afternoon, pushing No. 10 Creighton to five sets before falling 3‑2 (26‑24, 19‑25, 19‑25, 25‑18, 15‑12).
Coach’s perspective
“I told the team that there’s nothing to hang our heads about,” Stubbs said after the match. “We went out there and we competed and we learned a lot of things.” She noted that the Wildcats repeatedly found the will to fight back, even when the Bluejays surged ahead.
Key players step up
Senior outside hitter Destiny Ndam‑Simpson, playing near her hometown against her former team, led Arizona with 16 kills, added four aces, four blocks and nine digs. Sophomore opposite hitter Renee Jones contributed 12 kills, posted a .423 hitting efficiency and recorded three blocks for a total of 13.5 points. Junior outside hitter Carlie Cisneros followed with 11 kills on a .310 hitting efficiency and added nine digs, showing resilience after a tough outing the previous weekend.
Match flow
The first set was a nail‑biter, tied 9‑9 before Creighton pulled away to a 21‑12 lead. Arizona rallied, tying the set at 24‑24, but the Bluejays closed it out 26‑24. Creighton took the next two sets, yet Arizona kept the pressure on, narrowing gaps and forcing a competitive third set.
In the third set, the Wildcats seized an early lead and never looked back, winning 25‑18 and giving the team its first lead in the match. Creighton responded in the fourth, but Arizona held on for a 25‑18 win, setting up a decisive fifth set.
The final set saw Creighton’s Trinity Shadd‑Ceres dominate with 12 kills, while Arizona struggled to maintain its earlier blocking intensity. Stubbs observed, “We were doing a phenomenal job blocking in sets one through three, and then all of a sudden that died off.” Despite a valiant effort, Arizona fell 15‑12.
Looking ahead
Stubbs remains optimistic, saying the team’s intensity will carry over to the next match against Tulsa. “It’s not hard getting the team motivated for a top‑10 opponent,” she said. “The key is how we respond when a team that’s equal to you or even better than you, just not in the top 10, plays us.”
Original reporting: Arizona Desert Swarm (Tucson Sports) — read the source article.
