The Arizona Wildcats and Prairie View A&M Panthers got a late start to their season when the early match between UCSB and Tarleton State required the reverse sweep by the Gauchos. When it was finally go-time for the 2026 season, the Wildcats were ready.
The home team started its season with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-10) victory over the visiting Panthers. It was a needed rebound for Arizona after the team dropped its final exhibition at New Mexico last week.
“We knew we had to get better in the passing and serving game, and just being able to be more aggressive as attackers,” Arizona head coach Rita Stubbs said. “And so that was our goal to really worry about our side of the net, not knowing anything about what Prairie View was about, other than the fact they ran 6-2. That’s all I really knew.”
The tone was clear in set one. Arizona used a 10-0 run on the serve of Carlie Cisneros and a .500 hitting percentage by Destiny Ndam-Simpson to put the Panthers on their heels. Arizona ran away with the opening frame. A brief lull in the second set didn’t stop the inevitable.
“We’ve been working on being better right off the bat, and I thought we were good in the first set,” Stubbs said. “And then we had that lull in the second set, and their response to that going into the third set is exactly what you would want.”
Ndam-Simpson led the team with 13 kills on .333 hitting. She added an ace for a team-high 14 points. She left the match in the third set to allow freshman Hayden Reeder to get some playing time.
Cisneros became more aggressive on offense as the match wore on, but her attacking wasn’t her sole contribution. She helped the Wildcats with her all-around games by contributing five kills, three aces, seven digs, and two total blocks. Her nine points were second on the team.
The outside hitters weren’t the only contributors. The Wildcats got offense from all over the court.
Britt Carlson was out with a boot on her left foot due to an ankle sprain, but Arizona’s other two right sides had strong outings. Kennedy Osunsanmi got the start, but Renee Jones came in as part of the double-substitution in Arizona’s 6-2 offense. It wasn’t a new experience for her.
“I used to play 6-2 a lot throughout high school, and also we’ve ran it a lot through practice in this preseason,” Jones said. “So it’s come really easily to all of us, and we have two really good setters, so it’s really easy to adjust to them mid-game.”
J0nes finished the night with a .583 hitting percentage, leading all players who had more than two attempts. She had seven kills on 12 swings without committing an error. On a night when Arizona only had three total blocks, she was also responsible for a solo block that gave her eight points.
“Everything was just clicking,” Jones said. “It was just exciting to finally have our first actual home match with the crowd there. My parents, my mom, and my sister were in the stands, so that was really exciting. It just really got me hyped for the game.”
Osunsanmi had five kills with a .250 hitting efficiency.
Up next for Arizona volleyballWildcat ClassicGame 1: Arizona def. Prairie View A&M 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-10)Game 2: Tarleton State @ ArizonaWhen: Saturday, Aug. 29 @ 12:30 p.m. MST
Where: McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz.
Streaming:ESPN+
Stats:Arizona Live Stats
Game 3: UC Santa Barbara @ ArizonaWhen: Sunday, Aug. 30 @ 12:30 p.m. MST
Where: McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz.
Streaming:ESPN+
Stats:Arizona Live Stats
Arizona’s middles also got in on the action. Journey Tucker and Marina Vosloo combined for seven kills. Both hit at least .500.
Tucker had four kills without a hitting error on seven swings for a .573 hitting percentage. She added one block for 4.5 points.
In her first official start, Vosloo contributed three kills on four swings with just one error for a .500 hitting efficiency. She added a service ace for four points.
The freshman middle started both exhibitions, so it wasn’t new for her to start in college. This one counted, though.
“It was just really exciting,” Vosloo said. “I’m just super happy to be there. You know, super grateful and humble about it.”
At New Mexico, Arizona’s setters had a very uneven night. Starter Maria Olga Siapani had 35 assists but second setter Harmony Sample had just five. That didn’t reoccur.
Siapani had 15 assists on 30 attempts. Sample ended with 12 assists on 31 attempts. Sample added one kill, three aces, and six digs. Siapani had a double-double with 11 digs to go with her 15 assists.
“[That] is what you want,” Stubbs said. “But we distributed the ball a little bit better, period, to put the hitters in a better position.”
The Wildcats now take on a Tarleton State team that put a scare into UCSB. The Gauchos went 23-9 last year but they were knocked on their heels by the Texans, who rushed out to a 2-0 lead and again had a lead in the fifth set. UCSB fought back, but the outing should give Tarleton confidence going into Saturday’s match against Arizona.
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