The stats say that Arizona volleyball dominated in its straight-set win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Stats and even 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-13) victories don’t always tell the whole story, but this one gave Arizona its 13th straight victory stretching back to its 11-0 run to end 2024.
The Wildcats had 47 kills and hit .355 as a team. The Islanders had 35 on .186 hitting. Arizona had four aces to one, 43 digs to 38, and five blocks to one. Still, the Islanders were competitive for two sets.
Arizona
did what it needed to, pulling away late in each set to keep the match to the minimum. Wildcats head coach Rita Stubbs said part of that was the team working on things in a game situation.
“I think they’re a good team, and they’re just young,” Stubbs said. “So, it becomes a little bit of the highs and lows, and you just kind of weather that a little bit. But we’re always trying to work on different things, so sometimes what’s happening is because of what we’re working on.”
It wasn’t the only reason Arizona had some ups and downs, though.
“We started out kind of flat, honestly,” Stubbs said. “And then after the first horn at 15, I told them, I said, we look a little flat out here. We need the bench to kind of give back energy, because there will be some matches that don’t just get you riled up. When we play Nebraska, I won’t have to say go for it and be aggressive, because that’s just the mindset, and it’s a sign of a team that is mature, when you can say that, and they start making changes to get better.”
Senior outside hitter Jordan Wilson was the catalyst both on the court and off. Arizona’s best player showed it all match and in all aspects of the game, but that’s not the only thing that stands out for Stubbs.
“I think she’s doing awesome,” Stubbs said. “She’s being a leader out there, and she’s talking, and it was amazing. There was one play where she’s telling Brenna [Ginder] to set the D ball over to Ana [Heath], and just giving a lot. She has a lot of lofty goals this season, and she’s putting herself in position to achieve them.”
Wilson led the match with 14 kills. She did it with extreme efficiency, making just two hitting errors and hitting .414. She also had an ace and four total blocks (one solo) for 17.5 points. Wilson threw in an assist and six digs for good measure.
Up Next for Arizona Volleyball
Fresno State Bulldogs (2-0) @ Arizona Wildcats (2-0)
When: Sunday, Aug. 31 at 12:30 p.m. MST
Where: McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz.
Streaming: ESPN+
Stats: Arizona Live Stats
She’s doing it despite everyone knowing she’s the primary offensive threat.
“Just knowing that there’s always going to be a target on your back no matter what level you’re at or anything,” Wilson said about her approach to her role this season. “Just to always play your hardest, play your best, and to know that people will be coming at you no matter what. So just play your game. Don’t let them get to you. And volleyball is very much a mental sport, and I try and keep the mental out of it as much as I possibly can.”
Arizona also got production from the middle again, although some of the contributors were different. Sophomore Adrianna Bridges had her second straight strong match on offense. She didn’t commit an error until 17-16 in the second set. She ended the day with 10 kills on .529 hitting. Her solo block gave her 11 points. She also had an assist.
Stubbs is pleased with the production from the sophomore. Her goal is to address to mental side of the game, much like Wilson has done.
“I want to continue to see her to grow as a talker on the floor in terms of the confidence behind it,” Stubbs said. “Sometimes she’ll kind of turn around like, ‘Did I do the right thing?’ I want her not to turn around and wonder if she did the right thing and just know she probably didn’t–and it’s okay. This is looking for someone to kind of give her that validation with a little bit of that, basically trying to get let off the hook. I don’t want her to get let off.”
For most of the match, Arizona didn’t have a lot of success on the block. The Wildcats ended with five total blocks, but four of them came in the final set. Part of that was the insertion of freshman Maya Flemister into the lineup.
Flemister admitted that she had some difficulties with nerves her first match, but she settled down in her second. She played at the end of the second set and all of the third. She ended a perfect 3-for-3 on attacks and had three total blocks for 4.5 points. She finished second on the team in blocks, trailing only Wilson and her four total blocks.
“We talked a lot about the [Islanders’] middle running the slide before the game,” Flemister said. “So I just had to keep telling myself, ‘The middle is going behind. The middle is going behind.’ So I think that helped a lot. And then just we’re working really hard at practice on my eye movement and making sure it’s fast and I can react fast to where the setter is going, and I think that helped a lot.”
As Stubbs mentioned, Arizona seemed to come out flat in the first set. After building a 4-0 lead, the Wildcats stalled. TAMUCC came back to make it a one-point set at 7-6 in Arizona’s favor and then tied it at 11 points apiece.
Wilson’s kill gave Arizona the 15-12 lead and brought the media timeout. That’s when the team discussed the energy issue. The Wildcats addressed the issue, taking control of the set, but it wouldn’t be the last time the Islanders put a little scare into them.
The second set was tight from the start. The last tie came at 17-17. Arizona went on an 8-2 run to close it out.
The Islanders fought back in the third when they had their backs against the wall, but the challenge was shortlived. TAMUCC led 5-2, then the Wildcats woke up again.
“I think that we kind of had a realization, like, Okay, our energy is not very good right now,” Wilson said. Like, this is not we want to show the people that this is what we’re going to bring for them. So we need to step it up right now and put on our a game and just turn this game around. I think we did really well at doing that.”
Arizona tied the set at 10 then started to pull away. The Wildcats outscored the Islanders 15-3 to end the match.
Arizona finishes up the Wildcat Classic on Sunday when it faces Fresno State. The Bulldogs beat Alabama State 3-0 a day after defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-2.
