Cisneros Powers Arizona Past UTEP to Close Nonconference Schedule
The short version
- Arizona beat UTEP in four sets to finish nonconference play at 5-6.
- Carlie Cisneros led the way with a season-high 15 kills on .387 hitting plus 14 digs.
- All four Wildcat pin hitters reached double-digit kills for the first time this season, per coach Rita Stubbs.
- Big 12 play opens Sunday, Sept. 27, at No. 21 Colorado.
The Wildcats wrapped up their nonconference slate at 5-6 with a four-set home win over the Miners on Tuesday night in Tucson.
Carlie Cisneros reached double figures in kills for the third time over the past five matches, helping Arizona take down UTEP in four sets Tuesday night in Tucson: 25-20, 27-25, 19-25, 26-24. The win closed the Wildcats' nonconference schedule and moved them to 5-6 on the season, with victories in three of their last five.
An outside hitter who spent the spring playing beach volleyball to sharpen her attacking and blocking, Cisneros delivered a season-best 15 kills while hitting .387. She added two total blocks, three assists and 14 digs, giving her a double-double that was locked up during the third set when she recorded her 10th kill.
All four Arizona pin hitters finished with at least 10 kills, something head coach Rita Stubbs noted had not happened before this season. Renee Jones, Kennedy Osunsanmi and Destiny Ndam-Simpson each chipped in 10, with Jones pacing the squad at .412 hitting. Cisneros, Jones and Osunsanmi matched middle blockers Journey Tucker and Marina Vosloo for most blocks on the team with two apiece. Setter Harmony Sample also finished with a double-double on 17 assists and 10 digs, while Maria Olga Siapani added 24 assists and nine digs.
UTEP never trailed in the third set and forced a fourth by winning it 25-19, but Arizona regrouped. Cisneros took over late in the final frame with four kills, two assists and a solo block. The Miners fought off one match point, and a UTEP error on a second match point — reviewed at the request of Miners coach Ben Wallis, who believed Cisneros had touched the ball — finally ended the night.
Arizona opens Big 12 play on Sunday, Sept. 27, at No. 21 Colorado, its third ranked opponent of the year. The Wildcats then host Iowa State on Oct. 2 in just their fourth home match of the season.