Arizona
Arizona volleyball finishes opening weekend undefeated
If energy was a problem in the early going of Arizona volleyball’s match on Saturday, the Wildcats had fixed that problem by Sunday’s match against Fresno State. They were active and aggressive from the start in a 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-20) victory over the Bulldogs.
“It was something that I wanted, especially after yesterday’s game,” Arizona head coach Rita Stubbs said. “I didn’t feel like we started off with a lot of energy (yesterday). So it was good.”
The win pushed Arizona’s winning streak to 14 straight matches stretching back to last year. The last time the Wildcats lost was a home match to Kansas State. After a players’ meeting, they took out No. 8 Kansas in the next match and didn’t lose again.
The 14-match winning streak matches the longest in program history. Arizona last won 14 straight matches in 2000.
“I think that’s pretty cool,” said sophomore setter Avery Scoggins. “We definitely want to get a lot more wins in the future, so we’re gonna work hard to accomplish more than that.”
Oustide hitters Jordan Wilson and Carlie Cisneros once again led the way.
Wilson was not only effective, she was also highly efficient. Despite being subbed out at 11-9 in the third set, the senior ended with 12 kills on 20 swings. She had just one hitting error, ending the day with a .550 hitting percentage.
Just as she did in the other two matches this weekend, Wilson had an impact in most aspects of the game. While she struggled a bit on serve, committing three service errors without an ace, she had a block and five digs. She ended with 12.5 points.
Wilson’s efficiency has been especially noticeable in the first weekend. She has improved each season at Arizona, hitting .215 as a sophomore and .249 last year, but has started especially strong this year.
Over the first three matches, Wilson is hitting .353 and has 4.0 kills per set. Last year, she hit .260 over the first weekend and was subbed out in the second match after just one set with six errors on seven swings without a kill.
“I think that, one, she wants to play professional so she knows there are some things that she needs to do to put herself in a position to be seen favorably by those out there that’ll be making those decisions,” Stubbs said. “But more importantly, she just wants to be the leader on the team and the one that’s willing to carry the load, and she knows in order to do that, she has to be consistent with her level of play so people can look to her and not worry if she struggles.”
Cisneros led the team with 13 kills. She did it on .270 hitting. She was second in the match with three total blocks, trailing only Arizona middle blocker Adrianna Bridges. Cisneros threw in a service ace to lead the team with 15.5 points. She also had two assists.
Bridges was once again Arizona’s other primary offensive weapon. The sophomore had four kills, two service aces, and four total blocks for eight points.
Stubbs once again subbed liberally. All three of the opposites on the roster saw at least some court time, as did all three of the healthy middle blockers. Four of the five libero/defensive specialists played.
The two bring different things to the table, with Heath being quicker and Carlson being a bigger block at the net and more effective when the team is out of system.
“That’s where Ana kind of gets hurt every time,” Stubbs said. “It’s because I think she’s too aggressive in most situations. But you gotta understand the personnel of it, because Jordan is extremely aggressive out of system, but she brings something different to the table, and her level of confidence and being comfortable there is a lot different.”
Stubbs believes they need to be able to use both of them without missing a beat and is not set on one of them being the primary player at the position yet.
Freshman outside hitter Paige Thies came into the match for Wilson in the third set. She had three kills on seven swings without an error. She also had a dig.
Bridges played the whole match at middle blocker. Sydnie Vanek and Maya Flemister split time on the court, with Flemister coming in during the final set.
The variety of teammates she is setting for is something Scoggins is still working through. While she got to play with all of them except Thies during the spring, it is still a learning experience when the games count.
“I think it’s something that takes time getting used to, and I feel…like I need to work on my connections with everybody and everything can always get better,” Scoggins said.
She did feel that her connections with the middles was getting better. Bridges did not play much last year, Vanek is new to the position at the college level, and Flemister is a freshman, so that is a focus for Scoggins and the middle blocker group.
“For me today, I thought, obviously, there’s a lot of sets that I could have cleaned up,” Scoggins said. “I haven’t been the most consistent this past weekend, but that’s a good thing, because now I can clean it up going forward, in the future, and knowing what specific sets that I need to work on. I thought the middle connection today was pretty solid. I thought overall, everybody did really good. We didn’t make a lot of unforced errors, which is good. And overall, I thought the team did really well. There’s still stuff to work on, but that’s a good thing. We want stuff to work on right now.”
Arizona dominated in all statistical categories. The Wildcats’ blocking and serving games gave the Bulldogs a lot of problems. While UA only ended with five total blocks on the stat sheet, their block touches set a tone, especially in the early going.
In the service game, Arizona kept Fresno State’s serve receive off balance. The Wildcats had eight aces to 10 service errors, sticking pretty close to the desirable one-to-one mark.
The Wildcats led for almost the entire match. Fresno State’s only leads came early in the third set. The last one was at 5-4.
Addison Haluska led Fresno State with a match-high 15 kills. The downside is it took her 40 swings and nine errors to get there. Haluska also had two total blocks to lead the match with 17 points.
The Wildcats go on the road next week to play in the Boise State Tournament against the host Broncos, former Pac-12 foe Oregon State, and UC San Diego. Their only other home match in nonconference play comes against UTEP on Sept. 16. They play seven of their 11 nonconference matches on the road or at neutral sites before starting Big 12 play with two road matches.
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Arizona
2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals
Since the Arizona Cardinals want to trade back from the No. 3 picks, here are three deals that could work.
The Arizona Cardinals have the third pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which begins this week on Thursday. All the reports coming out are saying that they want to trade out of the pick to acquire more draft picks.
But what does a trade look like and who could be involved?
The Kansas City Chiefs are involved in talks at some level. ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects trade talks to heat up this week.
NFL teams use a variation of a trade value chart when it comes to draft picks. Now, what a team actually is willing to give up can be influenced by potential competition with other teams, but we can’t count on that.
Here is the general trade value chart teams use.
Here are some potential deals that could be done.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have two first-round picks, which would be appealing to the Cardinals, who reportedly want to make a move for quarterback Ty Simpson, and the 29th pick might be just the spot to get him.
The third overall pick is worth 514 points.
The Chiefs’ picks at No. 9 (387 points) and No. 29 (202 points) together are worth 589.
To make up the difference, the Cardinals could give up No. 65 (78 points) for a total of 592 points.
One deal could be:
- Cardinals receive get No. 9 and No. 29 (589 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 65 (592 points)
Another could be:
- Cardinals receive No. 9, No. 29, No. 74 and 2027 third-round pick (653 points + value of future third-round pick, which is 36-78 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 34 (689 points)
The Cardinals keep their third-round pick and the Chiefs essentially move back five spots from No. 29.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th picks but no pick in the second round.
Pick No. 12 is 347 points and No. 20 is 269 for a total of 616.
This deal is close:
- Cardinals receive No. 12, No. 20 (616 points)
- Cowboys receive No. 3, No. 65 (592 points)
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are perhaps a dark horse to move up, although they do not have two first-round picks. They have the No. 8 pick, worth 406 points. Their second-round pick, at No. 42, is worth 142 points.
This deal could work:
- Cardinals receive No. 8, No. 42 (548 points)
- Saints receive No. 3, No. 104 (547 points)
Then the Cardinals could use their two second-round picks to then move back into Round 1 to get Ty Simpson.
They could trade No. 34, No. 42 and No. 65 (395 points) for No. 28, No. 38 and No. 106 (398 total points).
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com
PHOENIX — Breezy winds kicked up a blanket of dust across the Valley on Sunday, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.
Visibility in Phoenix became so bad on Sunday that Sky Harbor airport stopped flights for over an hour
The wind and dust peaked Sunday afternoon and gradually improved into the evening, said Michael Graves, an air quality meteorologist with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
“You might’ve seen the mountains a bit obscured in the distance,” Graves told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “A lot of haze in the air.”
By Monday morning, skies had largely cleared and dust levels near the ground had dropped significantly.
Expect more gusty, dusty days this week
The relief may be short-lived.
ADEQ is watching for increased afternoon breezes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, this time from the west and southwest. Though the winds are expected to be weaker than Sunday’s, Graves said forecasters cannot rule out dust.
“I wouldn’t say windstorm,” Graves said. “I would just say we’ve got some waves coming in. They’re going to increase our afternoon breeziness.”
It’s enough to kick up dry, exposed dirt, which could create pockets of dust. There is a slight chance of broader regional dust transport, Graves said.
It will impact people with asthma, COPD or respiratory conditions the most. Graves advised those with issues to monitor conditions and stay indoors during the dustiest hours.
“If you’re going to be outside, be outside during the times when it’s less dusty or hazy,” Graves said.
Graves noted that spring weather systems typically pass to the north of the Phoenix area, delivering wind and slight temperature drops but little to no rain, a pattern likely to continue.
KTAR News reporter Kellen Shover contributed to this report.
Arizona
Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona
The University of Arizona and Tucson are known for yearlong warm weather, but when is it too much? With temperature reaching record highs in March, the city of Tucson has already reported increased temperatures for this year.
In the wake of the third annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit, integrating voices throughout the City of Tucson, community stakeholders and experts from UA gather to speak about possible solutions and policies to address rising temperatures and extreme heat.
The summit strives to ensure that the lived experiences of Southern Arizona residents are voiced. The first summit commenced in 2024, in response to the declaration of an extreme heat emergency in Arizona by Gov. Katie Hobbs, as part of a larger plan called Arizona’s Extreme Heat Response Plan.
With representation from organizations such as the American Red Cross, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, Arizona Jobs with Justice, Tucson Indian Center and many more, the summit emphasized the importance of the perspective and concerns of stakeholder groups throughout the community.
The summit included a variety of UA experts, including faculty representing the School of Geography, Development and Environment; the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy; the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.
One particular project, led by Ladd Keith at the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, is a part of the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, which is funded by the United States’ Department of Energy to explore extreme heat throughout Arizona. SW-IFL works in collaboration with other national laboratories including those at ASU and NAU.
The team works to analyze extreme heat in the southwest and rural areas, and how communities deal with heat by conducting interviews. The team has also prescribed policy to Pima County and the City of Tucson regarding more effective strategies to combat rising temperatures, such as green stormwater infrastructure.
Anne-Lise Boyer, a post-doctoral researcher with the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, shared that the team particularly analyzed extreme heat in three parts: heat mitigation, heat management and heat governance.
Mitigation deals with prevention through strategies such as green infrastructure and planting trees, while management includes cooling sensors and heat warning systems. Governance allows these measures to be enacted through policy.
In Tucson, some of the most meaningful work the team has engaged in has been drafting the City of Tucson’s Heat Action Roadmap in 2024, which outlines goals to mitigate and mandate extreme heat and its impacts while prioritizing community voices.
The goals of the roadmap include informing and educating citizens of Tucson on the adverse effects of extreme heat and cooling people’s homes and neighborhoods by incorporating heat risk in regional planning. These steps are essential to practicing heat management, especially as the city of Tucson grows.
“I think the most interesting thing about being based in Tucson is that because the heat has been here for a long time, it’s like a laboratory in itself,” Boyer said. “We have all this research and all this collaboration happening with local actors because it’s a pressing issue in Arizona.”
As the annual heat summit recurs, new ideas and perspectives continue to be shared throughout the community. Boyer shared that this year, the Southern Arizona Heat Summit focused on the youth perspective, highlighting middle school and high school students and how heat impacts their everyday lives. Many students spoke about how heat shaped their lives at home, school and sports.
“That’s one of the goals, to have community members participate and give their input in how they wish the city will deal with the heat,” Boyer said.
Boyer and Kirsten Lake, a program coordinator for the SW-IFL team, also shared how the impacts of extreme heat impact some neighborhoods and communities in Tucson more than others, and that their research often evaluates these factors to determine where heat management efforts would make the greatest impact.
“Its important when you’re putting into effect some of these measures, that you make sure you put it where it’s going to make the biggest difference,” Lake said.
The work of the SW-IFL team is not just locally known. The Brookhaven National Lab based in New York deployed a specialized truck to Tucson to collect information on the atmosphere and rising temperatures. The SW-IFL team hosted the Brookhaven team.
Additionally, Keith’s work has led to a guidebook called “Planning for Urban Heat Resilience” which focuses on the adverse effects extreme heat poses to marginalized communities across the country.
“It is so different from place to place and neighborhood to neighborhood because you have to take the whole context into account,” Boyer said. “They recommend first to document the heat impacts in your communities.”
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