Arizona outside hitter Carlie Cisneros
played beach volleyball this spring in hopes of being ready to be a bigger force both on the attack and the block when indoor season rolled around. The fruits of that effort are showing themselves.Cisneros had double-digit kills for the third time in the last five matches as the Wildcats defeated UTEP 3-1 (25-20, 27-25, 19-25, 26-24) on Tuesday night.
“Carlie always has the ability to be that player, and as long as we walk in what we are strong in, then it works
out,” said Arizona head coach Rita Stubbs. “I’m proud of her for staying true to what she was capable of doing, yet listening for different ways to make things happen.”
It was a strong effort by all four of Arizona’s pins, but Cisneros stood out. She led the team with a season high 15 kills with a very efficient .387 hitting percentage. She also had two total blocks, including a solo block, to contribute 16.5 points. Her 14 digs gave her the double-double, which she had solidified in the third set when she got her 10th kill. She added three assists.
All of Arizona’s pins had double-digit kills and three of the four hit .292 or better. The trio of Renee Jones, Kennedy Osunsanmi, and Destiny Ndam-Simpson had 10 kills each. It was especially encouraging because getting all four going at the same time has been elusive for the Wildcats this season.
“I think that’s the first time they were all in double digits,” Stubbs said.
She was right.
Jones led the team with a .412 hitting percentage. Cisneros, Jones, and Osunsanmi tied middle blockers Journey Tucker and Marina Vosloo for the team high with two total blocks each.
Arizona also got solid outings from its setters. Harmony Sample turned in the second double-double for the Wildcats with 17 assists and 10 digs. Maria Olga Siapani wasn’t far off with 24 assists and nine digs.
Stubbs also got time from her bench players when she needed them. Vosloo, sophomore middle blocker Maya Flemister, and freshman outside hitter Hayden Reeder all came in as reserves. Freshman libero Gigi Whann shared the libero position with junior Brenna Ginder.
“It was a great team effort,” Stubbs said. “The fact that I was able to bring some players in from the bench to get breathers and make a difference and change things up, that only happens when you have a group who believes in what’s going on.”
Volleyball is a game of runs, and this night was no different. Arizona started the match looking like it would make short work of the Miners. UTEP won the first point of the opening set and never led again. The Wildcats had their biggest lead at 20-12 then the home team responded.
UTEP went on an 8-2 run to cut Arizona’s lead to two points at 22-20. A service error by the Miners was followed by Osunsanmi’s second kill and an ace by Ndam-Simpson to put the visitors up 1-0.
Things were much closer in the second set as UTEP rode its late-set momentum into the next frame. Arizona looked like it might pull away when it built a three-point lead at 17-14, but the Miners responded with a three-point run to tie it at 17.
The Miners inched closer to evening the match with a two-point lead 21-19. They even earned a set point at 25-24. The Wildcats responded with a 3-0 run to get a set away from the sweep.
UTEP played its best with its back against the wall in the third set. The Miners never trailed. The biggest lead was 10 points at 21-11.
Stubbs did some subbing, and the Wildcats cut into the lead late in the set. UTEP maintained an advantage and took the set 25-19.
Just as the Miners’ late set run in the second was important to momentum in the third, the Wildcats’ used their late set improvements in the third to get their feet back under them for the fourth. They settled down and fought through.
“It is exactly what you need to do because you know if it’s going that way, then you need to be focused on what’s going on and be ready for the next fight,” Stubbs said. “That’s why I don’t like people saying one more set. You you don’t know if it’s just gonna be one more set. It could be two more sets, and so it’s like you want to be ready for everything and compete.”
UTEP took the early lead in set two, but Arizona kept fighting back and tied it at 12 points apiece. Every time the Miners built a lead, the Wildcats reeled them back in. A five-point run finally gave UA a lead at 19-18. The ‘Cats never trailed again.
Cisneros came up especially big in the final set when Arizona was trying to close it out. She had four kills, two assists, and a solo block in the fourth as the Miners fought off one match point. Cisneros got her final kill to earn a second match point. A UTEP error ended it.
That final error was one of several points that had both coaches challenging and arguing with the officials. Stubbs and UTEP head coach Ben Wallis had obvious disagreements with the crew at various points. The final challenge came when Mackenzi Davis hit the ball out on Arizona’s second match point. Wallis thought Cisneros touched it. The review didn’t back that up. It was finally over.
The match ended Arizona’s nonconference slate with the Wildcats at 5-6. They have won three of their last five heading into Big 12 play. That will begin Sunday, Sept. 27 at No. 21 Colorado.
“The conference is going to be competitive,” Stubbs said. “They’ve all played great teams, and it’s about walking into set three, is what we call it, feeling confident about what we’re doing, and I think we go into set three feeling confident.”
The match against Colorado will mark Arizona’s third against a ranked team this season. It will also mark the end of a full month of road games. The Wildcats will play just their fourth home match of the season when Iowa State comes to Tucson on Oct. 2.
“Nice thing is the last two trips have not been very far,” Stubbs said. “Colorado is not a far trip, so we’re gonna put that spin on it versus saying we’re on the road yet again.”
