The Red team dominated the Arizona volleyball Red-Blue scrimmage, emerging victorious in four sets (20-25, 27-25, 25-18, 15-10) and showcasing promising signs for the 2026 Wildcats.
The Red team was superior in kills (56-35), hitting percentage (.181 to .109), and blocking (10.0 to 5.0). Both teams struggled on serve, with a war of service errors unfolding as the match wore on.
Arizona head coach Rita Stubbs praised Destiny Ndam-Simpson, who showed she's ready to step into the scoring role left vacant by the graduation of Jordan Wilson. Ndam-Simpson had 24 kills on .177 hitting, with 17 kills on .263 hitting in the first two sets when she was on the Red team.
The transfer from Creighton credited her hard work on attacking and passing for her success. "I have a lot of things that I've been working on that I've been growing in attacking and passing, especially passing," Ndam-Simpson said. "Building consistency there has been huge for me, and continuing to just have confidence and belief in myself that I can do it."
Payton Woods showed promise on the attack, but also struggled with errors. She had 4 kills, offset by 5 errors, but impressed with her 3 total blocks.
Renee Jones, who played all four sets on the Red team, had 5 kills on 13 swings without an error and threw in a block assist.
The Red team had a unique rotation with setter Mo Siapani occasionally coming out for an opposite when she rotated to the front row. This was done to address the issue of having a small setter in the front row.
Arizona will continue to experiment with its lineup, with the competition for setter remaining the biggest question for the Wildcats.
The team's serving woes were a major concern, with coach Stubbs emphasizing the need to serve the ball in the court. "We have to be able to serve the ball in the court," Stubbs said. "That goes without saying."
Overall, the Red-Blue scrimmage provided valuable insights for the Wildcats, who will look to build on the positives from the match.
Source: Yahoo Sports