The Arizona Wildcats needed competition and depth at almost every position according to head coach Rita Stubbs. Over the last few days, they have added opposite Kennedy Osunsanmi and middle blocker Kristen Dear. Now, they have outside hitter Destiny Ndam-Simpson in the fold.
Ndam-Simpson comes to Tucson after three years at a highly successful Creighton program and the completion of her bachelor’s degree. She will be pursuing a master’s at Arizona.
The Bluejays went 28-6 last season with all six losses
coming to ranked teams. In total, they went 3-6 against ranked teams, with the three wins coming against Big 12 teams. They defeated Kansas twice in the regular season and ended Arizona State’s run in the NCAA Tournament. Creighton’s year ended in the Elite Eight.
Ndam-Simpson developed in a high-achieving environment on a roster that advanced at least to the Sweet 16 all three years she was in Omaha. They went to the Elite Eight her final two years.
She served as a reserve behind All-Americans Norah Sis and Ava Martin for her first two seasons. Her junior season ended after 10 matches due to an injury. Her Creighton biography notes that 2025 was considered a medical hardship and she redshirted, which would give her two more years of eligibility.
Ndam-Simpson had some notable matches before she was shut down for the year. She accounted for 15 points on 13 kills and 3 total blocks against Kansas. She also had 8 digs in that match. She followed it with 13 kills, 4 digs, and 2 total blocks against San Diego.
She got time on the court against Penn State, Texas, USC, Louisville, and Nebraska in her 10 matches in 2025. She averaged 1.24 k/s in those five matches against ranked opponents.
Over the course of all 10 matches, she contributed 1.52 k/s, 0.15 service aces/set, 1.39 d/s, and 0.21 b/s. She scored 1.79 points per set.
Ndam-Simpson’s best season was her freshman year when she played 70 sets across 24 matches. She averaged 2.19 k/s, 0.53 d/s, and 0.41 b/s. She accounted for 2.42 points per set.
She earned BIG EAST All-Freshman honors in 2023. She made her first start that year against in-state power No. 4 Nebraska, getting 13 kills. She had 12 kills and two blocks against No. 9 Minnesota in a 3-2 Creighton win.
She averaged 1.53 kills per set on .417 hitting during her sophomore season. She played 31 sets in 18 matches.
Ndam-Simpson came out of high school ranked as the No. 21 recruit according to PrepVolleyball and the No. 31 recruit by PrepDig.
The Wildcats had three players enter the transfer portal during the spring window. Starting middle blocker Adrianna Bridges, reserve outside hitter Paige Thies, and reserve setter Chloe Giehtbrock all opted to look elsewhere after the spring tournaments. The team added three new players within 10 days of those announcements.
Arizona now has four outside hitters, three opposites, four middle blockers, two setters, and four libero/defensive specialists either already in Tucson or headed to town in the coming few months. The roster limit for volleyball is 18, so it is possible to add one more player.
