UA volleyball ends year with NIVC title; future looks even brighter | Michael Lev

For fifth-year senior Jaelyn Hodge, the MVP of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, it was the end.

For the Arizona Wildcats, it just might be the beginning.

With Hodge leading the charge in her final match at McKale Center, Arizona rallied to defeat Bowling Green in five sets to claim the NIVC title Tuesday night.

The outside hitter from Queen Creek has seen some things during her five years in Tucson — including playing two seasons within the same calendar year because of a global pandemic. She couldn’t have imagined a better way to go out.

“Just so many ups and downs throughout my five years here. But I'm glad to end it with this group,” said Hodge, who had a match-high 25 kills, plus seven digs and four blocks. “This group was so different from any other year. We were so bought in together, a family all year long. We were holding each other accountable, making sure we were in the gym doing what we should have been doing.

“I just love these girls. There's just a different type of bond this year. I think that's what pushed us over the edge.”

Arizona enjoyed many successful seasons under longtime coach Dave Rubio, reaching the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight three times and the Final Four once. Before Tuesday, the Wildcats had never won a championship.

It wasn’t exactly the one they wanted. But it was the proof of concept that Charita Stubbs, Rubio’s apprentice, had been seeking.

“It makes me really excited because of all the things I tell them, the things I pray about,” Stubbs said. “I want them to come to pass because it’s not easy for them to believe. They’ve never been there before. They don’t understand. You try to talk about it, put them in that situation as much as possible, but there’s no teacher like ... actually going through it.

“Until you actually win, you can’t really see it and understand it.”

Stubbs knows winning. She played on Rubio’s first two Sweet 16 teams and coached under him for almost two decades.

Stubbs also knows losing. She flamed out as the head coach at North Carolina State, going 22-111 over four seasons. Her first season as Rubio’s successor didn’t go well either; Arizona finished 8-23, the second-worst record in program history.

Sensing she was going down the wrong path again, Stubbs brought a different demeanor into 2024. Late Tuesday night, she explained why.

“Honestly, because I sucked last year,” Stubbs said. “I didn't let my coaches do what they needed to do. ... I thought I could do it all by myself. It’s like, ‘OK, just pump the brakes, ma’am.’”

Stubbs dyed her braids blue for the championship match. That was her brother’s favorite color. Charles passed away in May. He left her with what she described as “some choice words.”

“He got on me for my time at NC State, saying that I didn't allow myself to be who I am,” Stubbs said earlier in the week. “He goes, ‘Rita, you have to show them who you are. Don't change. No matter what happens, you have to be that person that people want to listen to and talk to.’

“He goes, ‘You don't get to do this again. This is it. You gotta go out there and show them what you're made of.’”

It seemed to be working early in the season; Arizona started 11-0. But the Wildcats’ introduction to the Big 12 was bumpy to say the least; after a straight-set loss to Kansas State on Nov. 6, they were 2-9 in conference play.

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Stubbs believes that match was the turning point. She had bronchitis. She could barely talk. She had to let go.

“It was probably the most helpless I've ever felt — and trust me, there's been some times,” Stubbs said. “I couldn't say anything. I couldn't give anything.”

From that point forward, Arizona became a player-led team. The Wildcats wouldn’t lose again, closing the season on an 11-match win streak that mirrored their opening run.

It helped to have players such as Hodge, all-tournament performers Jordan Wilson and Avery Scoggins, and do-it-all-freshman Carlie Cisneros, the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2024 who had a team-best 19 digs against Bowling Green.

Similar to UA football in 2021, Stubbs and UA volleyball were able to retain key players and sign a highly rated class despite struggling on the court. The latter also included star setter Scoggins, who had 54 assists Tuesday, the second-highest total of her budding career.

Scoggins experienced mixed emotions Tuesday night. She felt joy because the team achieved its goal. She also felt sad because this particular team will “never be able to do that again.”

Stubbs is hopeful that everyone who’s eligible to return will. With the transfer portal, that’s never a guarantee anymore.

Her other hope is to replicate what fellow coach Adia Barnes did with UA women’s basketball. Those Wildcats won the NIT in 2019. Two years later, they came within a basket of winning the national championship.

Stubbs believes she has two Aari McDonalds in Cisneros and Scoggins. Stubbs also envisions Wilson taking another step forward as a senior. She led the team in points and kills as a junior.

“She’s made for this,” Stubbs said.

It was unclear whether Stubbs intentionally invoked the women’s basketball’s team’s “Made for it” slogan when she said that. It was an effective message regardless.

Hodge, who announced that she’ll be playing professionally in Puerto Rico next year, said Stubbs has the program pointed in a “great direction.” Above all, Hodge appreciates Stubbs’ honesty. It was evident in the head coach’s post-match plea to keep the band together.

“Hopefully, they'll understand where we're going, that this is a family,” Stubbs said. “The grass is not always greener wherever you go, even though it may look like it.

“What I'm trying to build here is a healthy culture. If you want to be on board with someone who's going to care about you, take care of you, kick your butt when it's necessary, then this is where you need to be. If you can't buy into that, it's not going to work anyway.”

Stubbs and her team were laser-focused on the present during the match. Inspired by a red-clad crowd of 2,696, the Wildcats stormed back after dropping two of the first three sets against the plucky Falcons.

Arizona won the fourth set 25-17, ending it on a Cisneros service ace. The Wildcats quickly seized control in the fifth, led by Hodge, who had four kills, two block assists and an ace as the UA took an 8-2 lead. A kill and a block by Wilson made it 10-2. Arizona won the set 15-9.

Then came the celebration. Tears, smiles, hugs.

Stubbs knew she was saying goodbye to Hodge and a handful of other seniors. But the future looks as bright and shiny as the NIVC trophy the Wildcats proudly held aloft on the McKale Center court.

Photos: Arizona downs Bowling Green 3-2 in the NIVC championship match