Fifth-year defender Sarah Blacker last week broke the all-time wins record at Arizona with 87 victories, surpassing three former Wildcats who shared the mark.
It was something Blacker never expected to happen.
“I never realized that I would get this close,” said Blacker, a senior from San Diego. “I knew that obviously I would do my best to win every game, but then we faced challenges on the way with COVID and I was out for some games with some injuries and stuff.
“So being able to know that I was close and I had the opportunity to play more games was really exciting, and I knew ... once I was close that it was way more (realistic) that I could beat that record. It’s kind of a big deal, especially after the 10-year anniversary.”
This is the 10th-year anniversary for beach volleyball at Arizona. This past weekend at the Wildcat Spring Challenge was alumni weekend, and the three Wildcats who held the record — Madison Witt, McKenna Witt and Brooke Burling — were in attendance.
“Those are some of the girls that I looked up to when they were here, so having leaders like that on the team and being able to break the record when they’re there was really exciting,” Blacker said. “Because when I came in as a freshman, I looked up to them and they were always kind of seen as like the seniors for me. I was trying to impress and play hard for them, so with them being there and then congratulating me, it’s obviously a great feeling because it shows how much they care about me and support me.”
Blacker will look to add to her win total this weekend when the Wildcats travel to Stanford, California, to play in the Pac-12 North Invitational with matches starting Friday and ending Saturday. This is the first opportunity for Arizona to face off against some of the top-ranked teams in the country, including No. 2 USC, No. 4 UCLA and No. 10 Stanford. The Wildcats landed just outside the top 20 in this week’s AVCA Collegiate Beach Coaches Poll.
“I am expecting a challenge,” Blacker said. “I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us. Going into this weekend, I think that we have to go in willing to fight and play our hardest because obviously these teams are ranked above us.
“But that can’t be a frightening thing for us. I think it’s a great opportunity for us to show up and show that we can play and that we can compete at the level that they are at. ... It’s a great opportunity for us to show up and win, and hopefully we will get the outcome we want.”
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