5 players to watch this Arizona volleyball season

The annual Red-Blue Scrimmage at McKale Center at Alkeme Arena showcased familiar favorites and a few new faces.

But despite the mix of veterans and rookies, the team is already close, according to head coach Charita Stubbs.

“I think we're mature this year,” Stubbs told the Star last week. “Whether that translates to wins or not, I don't know the answer to that. But it's refreshing as a coach. You can give them a task, and they will take it, and they don't complain, they don't talk back, which is exciting. We have a group that will ask questions, which is exactly what you want. We don't hold any secrets, and we talked about that in our SWOT analysis and we just put everything out there so that we are prepared for what's going on. So I'd say the fact that we have a good number of players that have played and they have that experience behind them and then you're sprinkling a few that may not have played as much, it's a good core.”

Arizona fans will have another opportunity on Wednesday to check out the new team as they face GCU in an exhibition match at 5 p.m. 

After Wednesday’s match, the Wildcats hit the road to take on New Mexico in their final exhibition match of the season on Saturday. The regular season kicks off with the Wildcat Classic at McKale Center on Aug. 28.

Big 12 play will begin in late September, but the Wildcats have been prepping for the conference grind since the start of the preseason.

“We're talking a lot about what works in the Big 12,” Stubbs said. “That's why I'm watching and hearing what the coaches don't say. And truth be told, they're all saying the same thing. Everyone says they have depth. So, that tells me that we're in for a long season and no one will get a chance to have time off, and and it reminds me of the old Pac-10 in that sense that you never had a weekend you could play and go, ‘Oh, this will be an easy match,’ and that's not a knock against other conferences, but I mean you can kind of look at wins, losses, and stuff like that, and see who's beating up on whom, whereas in the Pac-10, it would always happen, and this is before the Pac-12. So, I think that we will be exciting to watch. 

“I think that we will have to find different ways to be more successful. But there are certain things that we do that will keep us in a good spot. Now, whether we can grind and compete from zero to 25 five sets, or zero to 25 four sets, and then to 15, we'll see. But we have to prepare for that each and every day. And so, that is by getting a lot of individual work, watching a lot of film and making them have better volleyball IQs.”

Here are five players to watch as the Arizona volleyball season gets underway.

Carlie Cisneros

Position: Outside hitter

Year: Junior

Over the past couple of seasons, the names “Arizona volleyball” and “Carlie Cisneros” have been synonymous as the outside hitter continues to make her mark on the court year after year. Last season, she started all 30 matches and played 112 sets for Arizona. Cisneros led the Wildcats with 29 aces and was second on the team in kills. She was also third on the team in digs (290). Important to note: Cisneros set the freshman digs record (382) in 2024. She concluded her sophomore year by making the All-Big 12 second team and strengthening her skills on the court by playing a season with Arizona beach volleyball. Right before this season kicked off, Cisneros was the only Arizona player named to the preseason All-Big 12 team. During the team’s Red-Blue scrimmage Saturday, Cisneros led the Wildcats with seven kills and 15 digs.

Destiny Ndam-Simpson

Position: Outside hitter

Year: Senior

Arizona fans got their first glimpse of Creighton transfer Destiny Ndam-Simpson at the scrimmage, and she didn’t disappoint. Ndam-Simpson helped lead the Red team to a 3-1 victory, recording 17 kills over two sets. Before transferring to Arizona, she totaled 249 kills and averaged 1.86 kills per set across 134 sets during her time at Creighton, according to Arizona Athletics. At Creighton, she was one of two volleyball players in program history to record 10 or more kills in her first four starts. Ndam-Simpson also secured multiple Big East accolades during her time at Creighton, including All-Academic Team and All-Freshman Team honors.

Journey Tucker 

Position: Middle blocker

Year: Senior

Arizona native Journey Tucker can handle whatever life throws her way — including the occasional injury. Tucker initially sat out the first two weeks of the 2025 season due to an injury, but would bounce back to play 84 sets in 24 matches. During her time on the court, she logged 122 kills and 69 total blocks. She also led the team in solo blocks with seven. In her breakout sophomore season in 2024, she led the Wildcats with 96 total blocks and 83 block assists. Most recently, Tucker recorded six blocks at the Red-Blue scrimmage. As a Wildcat, she’s earned back-to-back Big 12 Fall All-Academic honors.

Renee Jones 

Position: Opposite hitter

Year: Sophomore

Renee Jones may only be a sophomore, but she brings something essential to her team: height. Standing tall at 6-5, Jones is the tallest player on the squad by an inch (opposite hitter Britt Carlson is listed at 6-4). In her debut season, she tallied 49 kills, 33 blocks, and 13 digs in 42 sets throughout 14 matches. Something interesting to note: Jones comes from an athletic family. Her parents played professional basketball, and two of her sisters play volleyball, including her twin sister Ryla, who is now listed at Penn State. She also has a sister who was part of a collegiate crew team and a brother who played collegiate basketball. With the official lineup not set in stone as of yet, there’s a possibility Carlson or Kennedy Osunsanmi (6-3) will receive more playing time this season due to experience. But Jones could be one to watch as she continues to develop with the Wildcats over the next couple of years.

Maria Olga Siapani 

Position: Setter

Year: Junior

Just like Ndam-Simpson, Maria Olga “Mo” Siapani made her debut for the Wildcats at the Red-Blue scrimmage, and what a debut it was. Siapani recorded 41 assists and 21 digs to help lead the Red team to the win. Before coming to Arizona, the Cyprus native, who comes from a family of athletes, was a standout volleyball player at UAlbany. While there, she earned several America East Setter of the Week awards and Rookie of the Week awards during her freshman season. She ultimately earned the America East Rookie of the Year Award in 2024 and the America East Setter of the Year Award in 2025. At UAlbany last season, she led the team with 852 total assists. Outside of collegiate volleyball in the U.S., Siapani plays for the Cyprus Women’s Senior National Volleyball Team and the Cyprus Women’s National Beach Volleyball Team.