One of the top volleyball players in University of Arizona history will be inducted into the program’s Ring of Honor this fall.
Madi Kingdon Rishel will join nine former Arizona volleyball players when she is inducted into the Ring of Honor before the Iowa State matchup on Oct. 2 at McKale Center at Alkeme Arena.
During her time at Arizona from 2011-2015, she was a two-time AVCA All-American, All-Pac-12 and AVCA All-Region player, according to Arizona Athletics.
From the very beginning, Kingdon Rishel made a name for herself as a Wildcat.
The Phoenix native earned Pac-12 All-Freshman team recognition and, to this day, remains ranked in the top 10 in Arizona freshman records for kills per set (3.44), kills (358) and digs (248).
Arizona outside hitter Madi Kingdon (9) celebrates a block on a shot from Arizona State middle blocker Breelle Bailey (11) during the No. 18 Arizona vs. No. 19 Arizona State women's college volleyball game on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014, at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. The Wildcats won in five sets.
She’s also ranked in the top 10 in 19 categories in program history, according to the UA volleyball record book.
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Years after her time with the program, Kingdon Rishel still sits at No. 1 in the program record book for career attempts (5,656) and career matches with 10 or more kills (111 matches).
While at the university, Kingdon Rishel was a member of the U.S. A2 Team (now referred to as the U.S. Collegiate National Team) from 2011-12.
In 2015, she became an AVCA All-American with the beach volleyball program.
Following her collegiate volleyball career, she was named a Senior CLASS Award Finalist.
After graduating with a degree in sport management and marketing, Kingdon Rishel continued her professional volleyball career, becoming a member of the U.S. National Team from 2016-22.
With Kingdon Rishel in tow, the National Team won three Pan American Cup gold medals and a FIVB Volleyball Nations League gold medal, according to Arizona Athletics.
Kingdon Rishel would go on to play professionally overseas in places like Azerbaijan, China, Korea, and Turkey before coming back to the U.S. to play for Athletes Unlimited and LOVB Houston a few years ago.
She now plays for LOVB Los Angeles.
After finding out she would be inducted into the program’s Ring of Honor, she told Arizona Athletic Director Desireé Reed-Francois:
“I am really nostalgic about Arizona and I have a soft spot in my heart and I’m just proud to be a Wildcat.”
Contact Elvia Verdugo at everdugo@tucson.com. A journalism and history graduate from the University of Arizona, she shares stories highlighting what makes Tucson and its community special.
Elvia Verdugo
Sports Reporter
