When Whitney Dosty graduated from the University of Arizona, she thought she missed out on the chance to make the Ring of Honor.
But in 2021, Dosty won Paralympic gold in sitting volleyball. The accomplishment made her an automatic qualifier for the McKale Center rafters.
On Friday night, the 34-year-old Dosty watched her name get added into the Ring of Honor alongside eight other legendary Wildcats volleyball players. Arizona lost to No. 18 Oregon in four sets; the Wildcats will play Oregon State on Sunday afternoon.
“I had a great college experience and a great career at Arizona, but I think when I left, that’s the one thing I didn’t yet achieve,” said Dosty, a Salpointe Catholic High School grad. “I was blown away that it was something that I could still do.”
Dosty made the switch to sitting volleyball after she could no longer play standing volleyball due to an ankle injury.
Dosty said sitting volleyball is a lot faster due, in part because the court is smaller. The game forced the once-bouncy Dosty to move using only her hands or her upper body.
Whitney Dosty
UA volleyball coach Dave Rubio said he was happy that Dosty made the Ring of Honor, though he’s always been proud of her.
“I think it’s such a big deal to the player,” he said. “I’m so happy for them, but for me personally, I am more proud of the people they become versus the awards they have even afterwards.”
Dosty burst on the scene as a UA freshman in 2006, tallying 369 kills, the third-most by a UA freshman, while earning a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. She finished her career eighth in Arizona history with 1,278. Dosty played for the U.S. Junior National Team from 2005-2007 and made the U.S. A2 team in 2008 and 2009. In 2017, Dosty was inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame
Dosty now trains in Oklahoma City. A former ballerina and model, she recently began designing swimsuits. Her website, wavelengthswimwear.com, sells one-piece swimsuits for women with long torsos.
