The Arizona volleyball team had an NCAA Tournament résumé in the Wildcats’ second season under head coach Charita Stubbs — or at least it thought it did.
The Wildcats (20-9) ended the season on a seven-match winning streak and were one of the hottest teams in collegiate volleyball at the end of the regular season, but were excluded from the big dance.
The Wildcats extend their season on Saturday, when they host the second round of the 29-team National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). Arizona will host Pacific, which beat Weber State on Friday at McKale Center. UA had a first-round bye.
“I was really hurt for my players,” Stubbs said about missing the NCAA Tournament. “I was hurt, because I felt like we did everything that we were supposed to. I had several conversations with individuals and they thought our preseason wasn’t competitive enough. I get it, I understand it. Now, we moved on from that and we’re preparing for what we can in the future. That’s why playing in the NIVC is important to us.”
Leading up to the NIVC, Stubbs joined ESPN Tucson’s “Spears and Ali” to talk about the season, a superstar freshman and why it’s essential for the Wildcats to play in the NIVC.
How did Arizona flip its 8-23 record last season to 20-9 this season?
A: My No. 1 goal coming into this season was bring in players that knew how to win. That’s not a knock on anyone in the past, but when you bring in a Gatorade Player of the Year and conference champions in high school and the No. 1 recruit in the nation, when you bring them together, they know how to win and how to compete while we’re still developing. (Freshman Carlie Cisneros), she’s an All-American, so she knows how to compete and win. Bringing in that group of athletes, with the athletes you already have already, it puts you into a position where you can start off in a good place. The other thing that happened this year, which was phenomenal, we had athletes come back early because they were committed to being great and making the program better. They were gelling and bonding before the time we were able to work with them. We haven’t had a group like that in a long time.”
Freshman outside hitter Carlie Cisneros signed with Arizona as the top-rated recruit nationally by PrepVolleyball. What does she bring to the Wildcats?
A: “She’s a phenomenal all-around player. ... She’s the glue for our program. She’s one of those players that hasn’t left the floor all year long in terms of starting and playing an integral role. She can do everything. She can serve, play defense, pass, attack and she’s learning to embrace all of that as a freshman coming in that role. It’s not easy, but she has taken it and said, ‘OK, I got this. I’m prepared for it and built for it.’”
In football, basketball and other sports, there seems to be a period after the regular season where coaches are re-recruiting their own players before seeing who’s in the portal. Is that present with volleyball?
A: “Absolutely. For me, one of my strengths in this role is that we’re building relationships. It’s something I don’t wait until the last minute to do. I do it along the way all season. I talk to them and put them in a position where they believe they are a part of everything that’s going on and include them in conversations. You have to be vulnerable with them, as well, and put everything in front of them so they’re not surprised by anything. You’re recruiting all season long, then you go out there and recruit the pieces you need.”
Many disgruntled teams could decline an opportunity to play in the NIVC. Why is it important for Arizona to play in this tournament?
A: “I don’t believe you can be happy and sad at the same time. If I’m really sad about not making the NCAA Tournament at this point, then I can’t be happy about being invited to the NIVC. For us, it’s about continuing to put us in position to extend our win streak. We were 20-9 at the end of the regular season — that’s huge. We haven’t been in that position in a long time so we’re going to continue to ride that high as long as we can. We need fans to come out. We need to pack it out and we want to host all the way through, should we be afforded to win. The way you do that is by packing the stands.”
