<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3yzC0A_0vicEmuM00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3yzC0A_0vicEmuM00" width="516" height="270" >Arizona volleyball finally starts its first conference season in the Big 12 on Wednesday, Sept. 25. With it come a lot of changes, but they’re just the latest in a series of changes. The program has experienced improvements both on and off the floor this year. Now it’s up to the Wildcats to maintain their success as the competition gets dramatically upgraded.<h2>On the Big 12 schedule and missed class time</h2>There was once a pretense that the “college” in college sports was not just important but the most important part of the whole enterprise. Whether it ever really was is open to debate, but at least athletic departments and conferences paid lip service to academics. The Big 12 volleyball schedule is just one more piece of evidence that this isn’t really the case even in the so-called non-revenue sports.In the Pac-12, teams were usually on the road for four days a week. Most weeks that will still be the case in the Big 12. The big change is which days players are gone.“I think that the biggest challenge will be being absent during the week more,” said Arizona head coach Rita Stubbs. “So leave on Tuesday, leaving in the morning, but we’re trying to do everything we can to prepare for that. We’ll have our breakfast here. We’ll go to the airport. They’ll get some study in. We’ll get film in. And you just don’t know what you don’t know, and so we’re gonna make it into a more fun experience. Kind of like, ‘Oh wow, look what we get to do!’ versus, ‘Oh man, I can’t believe we have to do that.’”Arizona’s old conference required players to miss one day of classes during most road trips because volleyball matches were scheduled on Friday evenings and early Sunday afternoons. In the Big 12, players miss three to four days of classes for two-match road trips because the conference schedules most of them on Wednesday and Friday evenings.If the matches were televised, the weeknight matches would make sense. Cable network executives are looking to fill certain timeslots. However, the vast majority of Big 12 volleyball matches are streaming only on ESPN+. There is no conference network like the Pac-12 Network to give them linear TV exposure, so timeslots are irrelevant.<h2>Moving up</h2>In the final year of former head coach Dave Rubio’s tenure, Arizona had three paid coaches, a volunteer assistant coach, and a director of volleyball operations (DOVO). Rubio and the senior assistant each had a private office while the second paid assistant was in a reception area between the two private offices. They were attractive if on the small side, and one assistant did not have a private area to work.The volunteer assistant and DOVO’s offices were another story. Each was about the size of an average walk-in closet. The ceilings sloped, so there was little headroom. Claustrophobic was not an inaccurate description. When the volunteer assistant became a paid job, there was even more stress on the office space. “I tend not to take recruits in there on purpose,” Stubbs said.When new athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois was hired, she asked the head coaches what they needed to be successful. Stubbs asked Reed-Francois to take a look at their offices.“And then she called, I think it was like a day or so later, but she called me in the evening,” Stubbs said. “So I was like, ‘Oh, wow. What did I do wrong?’ Not that I should think that way, but let’s be honest, you kind of sit back and pause. And she said, ‘I went by your office. I didn’t touch anything, but I took a look, and I think I may have a solution for you.’ And so then that’s when she shared with me that she was going to move her office over to the academic center and that we would be able to take over the AD suite.”That not only allows space for all of the coaches—including a third assistant when Stubbs hires one again—but also the managers and the players. She said that her managers are now able to do more for the program because they have space to work. Her players spend time in the office because they have a kitchen, snacks, and room to hang out.<h2>Freshman impact</h2>Stubbs brought in four freshmen this year. While middle blocker Adrianna Bridges is currently blocked by three players with more collegiate experience, the other three have had their names on the starting lineup card almost every match. They’re making their presence known.Both outside hitter Carlie Cisneros and setter Avery Scoggins have been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week. It’s the first time two Wildcat teammates have had such an honor in the same season.Libero Brenna Ginder is splitting time with senior Haven Wray. Ginder plays during Arizona’s serve receive points while Wray plays when the team serves. That puts Ginder in a position to pass and Wray in a position to defend.Ginder has had a huge impact on Arizona’s improved passing. Ginder had a 2.33 passer rating after nonconference. That puts her just above the 2.30 rating that passers strive for. One ranking system has her as the sixth-best passer in the country.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">Top Passers NCAA Volleyball 2024 Courtney Jackson - Arkansas Olivia Mauch - Nebraska Ava Underwood - Texas A&amp;M Jackson has really found her stride this season so far, adding huge value while taking 1/3 balls for Arkansas Nebraska’s Mauch is super underrated - please… <a href="https://t.co/uoE3ajzt6f">pic.twitter.com/uoE3ajzt6f</a>— Chad Gordon (@chadgordon09) <a href="https://twitter.com/chadgordon09/status/1837136572879147227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote><h2>About that passing</h2>In addition to Ginder, Arizona is getting quality passing out of both of its outside hitters. Cisneros and junior OH Jordan Wilson have both at least held their own. Cisneros was expected to be good, but Wilson is in her first season as a six-rotation outside hitter and has shown huge improvements since last year.The same ranking system that placed Ginder in the top 10 passers in the country have both Wilson and Cisneros as top 20 outside hitters.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">Top Outside Hitters NCAA Volleyball 2024 Non-Conference Kamryn Gibadlo - Utah Melanie Parra - TCU Claire Little - BYU Gibadlo has Utah off to a 10-1 start and has really been playing well out of system Parra is a familiar face to these lists - a high workload outside… <a href="https://t.co/EYpfWS5PA0">pic.twitter.com/EYpfWS5PA0</a>— Chad Gordon (@chadgordon09) <a href="https://twitter.com/chadgordon09/status/1837836146023321690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>What those numbers don’t show is how well both have passed. Prior to last weekend’s matches against North Dakota State and Southern Utah, Cisneros had a 2.14 passer rating in 152 attempts this season and Wilson was at 2.05 in 91 attempts. Cisneros took an even bigger jump in the final week of pre-conference competition. The freshman passed 2.48 in the two matches, making her one of the top outside hitters in serve receive.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">NCAA VB Week 4⃣ Best Receiving Outside Hitters <a href="https://t.co/7oQOAn2wpX">pic.twitter.com/7oQOAn2wpX</a>— Avid (@AvidVolley) <a href="https://twitter.com/AvidVolley/status/1838586286690468336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>The question for Arizona is how much of the improved passing is related to the level of competition. The Wildcats will face two teams with good service games this week. It’s time to show what they can do.Lead photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Arizona volleyball notebook: On missed class time, office space, freshman impact, and more

Arizona volleyball finally starts its first conference season in the Big 12 on Wednesday, Sept. 25. With it come a lot of changes, but they’re just the latest in a series of changes. The program has experienced improvements both on and off the floor this year. Now it’s up to the Wildcats to maintain their success as the competition gets dramatically upgraded.