Zyonna Fellows chose volleyball over hoops; now, the UA senior tries to help Cats make big leap

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.

“That kind of pressure, I was like, ‘I’m scared to disappoint,’” Fellows said.

Fellows chose volleyball. Arizona’s 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 Weidt’s 58.

“As soon as I realized I was good at volleyball, basketball slowly started to go,” Fellows said. “My love for volleyball started to grow a little more and basketball just wasn’t where I wanted it to be at that moment.”

Although her dad had WNBA aspirations for his oldest daughter, Fellows says he was still supportive of her decision.

“He started supporting me more and was like, ‘OK, she made her decision. I’m going to support her regardless,’” 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 Arizona’s cornerstone starters.

“Reality hit me because I was like, there are middles here who have been in this program for years,” Fellows said.

Fellows quickly accepted her role as a backup rotation player. The reason? “I didn’t think that I was going to start just because I wasn’t good,” Fellows said. “I honestly thought I needed more time to get where I wanted to be … I didn’t take it as anything bad. I was just like, it’s going to take me time to work up to that point.”

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As a freshman, Fellows said she learned plenty from Cross and Hayes both on and off the court.

Cross “really motivated me when it came to blocking because she was always up, always solid,” Fellows said. “I was just like, ‘I want to block like that.’ She was really caring and loving to me and helped me out. They both helped me out when it was needed.”

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.

“She’s one of the nicest, most caring, unselfish people that ever been around,” he said. “The nice thing about (Fellows) is that she’s really coming around as a player.”

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 Fellows’ display of leadership has been “fantastic.”

“I do a lot, but I don’t want to overwhelm them with information,” Fellows said. “I just give them tips or I’m like ‘Do you have any questions?’ or if they make a mistake, I’ll let them know how to fix it … I’m not just a teammate, I could be your family member. I’m there for you if you need help with whatever.”

Fellows has the option to return to Arizona for another season to the NCAA’s pandemic-related exemption. However, Rubio expects her to move on — potentially to the pros.

“Right now I think that if she wants to play overseas, she could certainly play overseas,” Rubio said. “She certainly has put herself in position to do that. I’m not sure if she wants that, but I know that she’s certainly good enough now to do that.”