When Zyonna Fellows was a sophomore in high school, she had a decision to make. A dual-sport athlete, Fellows had to choose whether to pursue her love for basketball or her passion for volleyball.
Her mom, Latanya, played volleyball in high school. Her dad, Antowan, played basketball. Fellows was stuck in the middle.
βThat kind of pressure, I was like, βIβm scared to disappoint,ββ Fellows said.
Fellows chose volleyball. Arizonaβs middle blocker will lead the Wildcats into a Friday night match against Colorado in Boulder. The Wildcats will play the Buffaloes at 5 p.m., then take on Utah on Sunday at noon. Fellows ranks sixth on the team with 61 kills; her 55 blocks trail only Merle Weidtβs 58.
βAs soon as I realized I was good at volleyball, basketball slowly started to go,β Fellows said. βMy love for volleyball started to grow a little more and basketball just wasnβt where I wanted it to be at that moment.β
Although her dad had WNBA aspirations for his oldest daughter, Fellows says he was still supportive of her decision.
βHe started supporting me more and was like, βOK, she made her decision. Iβm going to support her regardless,ββ Fellows said.
And while Fellows was talented, she had to prove she belonged at the Pac-12 level. A star player at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, Washington, Fellows was accustomed to a lot of playing time in high school. When she came to Tucson, Fellows wait behind Devyn Cross and Shardonee Hayes, two veteran middle blockers who had already solidified themselves as Arizonaβs cornerstone starters.
βReality hit me because I was like, there are middles here who have been in this program for years,β Fellows said.
Fellows quickly accepted her role as a backup rotation player. The reason? βI didnβt think that I was going to start just because I wasnβt good,β Fellows said. βI honestly thought I needed more time to get where I wanted to be β¦ I didnβt take it as anything bad. I was just like, itβs going to take me time to work up to that point.β
As a freshman, Fellows said she learned plenty from Cross and Hayes both on and off the court.
Cross βreally motivated me when it came to blocking because she was always up, always solid,β Fellows said. βI was just like, βI want to block like that.β She was really caring and loving to me and helped me out. They both helped me out when it was needed.β
Fellows played more regularly as a sophomore in 2019, starting 20 matches and finishing second on the team in blocks with 58. Coach Dave Rubio said Fellows did it the right way.
βSheβs one of the nicest, most caring, unselfish people that ever been around,β he said. βThe nice thing about (Fellows) is that sheβs really coming around as a player.β
Fellows is now one of just four seniors on the team. Naturally, she has adopted the role of being a mentor for some of her younger teammates, taking freshmen Nicole Briggs and Alayna Johnson under her wing.
Rubio says Fellowsβ display of leadership has been βfantastic.β
βI do a lot, but I donβt want to overwhelm them with information,β Fellows said. βI just give them tips or Iβm like βDo you have any questions?β or if they make a mistake, Iβll let them know how to fix it β¦ Iβm not just a teammate, I could be your family member. Iβm there for you if you need help with whatever.β
Fellows has the option to return to Arizona for another season to the NCAAβs pandemic-related exemption. However, Rubio expects her to move on β potentially to the pros.
βRight now I think that if she wants to play overseas, she could certainly play overseas,β Rubio said. βShe certainly has put herself in position to do that. Iβm not sure if she wants that, but I know that sheβs certainly good enough now to do that.β