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Arizona volleyball notebook: Spring tournament happenings

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Arizona volleyball notebook: Spring tournament happenings


Arizona volleyball hosted its spring volleyball tournament on Saturday, Mar. 22 in McKale Center. It was the first chance to get a look at most of the team that will compete with the Wildcats next season.

Arizona faced UTEP, GCU, and Western New Mexico in the first of three tournaments they will play this spring. The Wildcats play ASU in Tempe on Mar. 29. They go to San Diego on Apr. 5, then follow that with a return trip to UTEP on Apr. 12.

The Wildcats want to take a step forward after winning the NIVC last year. Spring tournaments w

On choosing tournaments and opponents

Different sports and coaches have different philosophies about opponents in their off-season scrimmages. Some don’t like to play teams they usually play in the regular season. That’s not the mindset of Arizona head coach Rita Stubbs.

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“I wanted to play teams who made the tournament last year in a non-threatening environment,” she said.

That means teams like ASU and UTEP. The Sun Devils have been one of the best stories in the sport the last two seasons, making a complete turnaround under JJ Van Niel. They have made two straight trips to the NCAA Tournament after being a stranger to late fall play for years.

UTEP is on a similar rise, albeit one that stretches longer. The Miners started their turnaround in the pandemic-shortened season in the spring of 2021. A 5-21 record in 2018 was 13-15 in 2019 then 10-7 in 2020-21. The 2021 fall season marked their first year with 20 or more wins since 2005. They’ve had at least 20 wins in two of three seasons since and at least 17 wins in each of the past four years.

The Miners showed that they have the potential to be that kind of team again in 2025. They also showed where Arizona needs to improve, with Stubbs noting that UTEP controlled the serve and pass game in their scrimmage.

On the other hand, having at least one team that isn’t your equal can be helpful, too. Stubbs had the opportunity to play freshmen Chloe Giehtbrock and Maya Flemister against Western New Mexico. Giehtbrock will redshirt this season. Flemister is adapting to the speed of the game.

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On fostering volleyball IQ

The spring tournaments also provide an opportunity for young players to learn the game beyond their own positions. During timeouts, Stubbs picked players to talk to the group about what they were seeing in the games. Two players were given the chance without advance warning.

Stubbs said that most of them talk about the game only as it pertains to their own contributions. She was trying to get them to see the entire game.

On roster needs

It’s unlikely that the roster that plays this spring is the final roster that will play this fall. There is still need for a middle blocker and at least one more pin. There have been no losses to the portal so far, but current members of the team could still enter.

The Wildcats lost fifth-year pin Jaelyn Hodge after last year. Middle blockers Kiari Robey and Alayna Johnson also exhausted their eligibility. Defensive specialist Ava Tortorello and opposite Amanda DeWitt played their last game in college last fall, as well. As of now, the seniors are the only roster losses.

The team should get its other main pieces back, though. Setters Avery Scoggins and Ana Heath, outside hitters Jordan Wilson and Carlie Cisneros, middle blocker Journey Tucker, and liberos Haven Wray and Brenna Ginder were all critical in Arizona’s turnaround and NIVC title last year. There is every indication that those players will be back in cardinal and navy in the fall.

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What happens on the right side, which Hodge patrolled last season, might be the biggest question. As far as the current roster goes, the frontrunner is probably Sydney Vanek. Vanek didn’t get a lot of playing time last season, but the two-sport athlete has considerable potential and athleticism. She’s not alone at opp, though.

Heath also played the position during the spring tournament. She played in a 6-2 as a setter and was occasionally listed as a pin on recruiting sites during her prep days. She also got some run at opposite her freshman season under former head coach Dave Rubio. Stubbs said last year that she would like to find more ways to use Heath, and this might be one of them.

The other primary option is freshman Renee Jones. Jones reclassified from the 2024 class, spending two years in the new volleyball program at IMG Academy.

Jones comes from a very athletic family with a great deal of volleyball success. Her older sister was a record-setting middle blocker at Maryland. Her twin was a freshman on the Pitt Panthers’ Final Four team this past season. She is trying to make her mark on the other end of the country.

Arizona needs experience and offense at middle blocker. Tucker will be a junior and she made a huge jump last season, but she’s more of a blocker than an offensive threat. She was a latecomer to the sport, so some of her skills are still in the development stage. She was working on the slide a bit during the spring scrimmages, but it’s a timing issue that may not come together quickly.

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Adrianna Bridges got very little time on the court last year as a freshman. She appears to have more offensive variety than Tucker, but she’s extremely inexperienced and has a very slight frame.

The only other option on the current roster is Flemister. It’s a huge adjustment for freshmen to come into college and jump right in, especially if Arizona wants to take another step forward this season.



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Autopsies show Arizona teens were both shot in the head while camping

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Autopsies show Arizona teens were both shot in the head while camping


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  • Two teenagers were fatally shot while camping northeast of Phoenix in May 2025.
  • Both Evan Clark, 17, and Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, were shot in the head, autopsy reports said.
  • A 31-year-old man was arrested and indicted on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths.

A 17-year-old boy who was fatally shot while camping with a female classmate northeast of Phoenix died from gunshot wounds to the head, according to the first page of his autopsy report.

Evan Clark, 17, and Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, were camping just off State Route 87 near Mount Ord when the two were shot and killed. Investigators discovered their bodies, which had been moved into nearby brush to conceal them, on May 26, 2025.

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The first page of Clark’s autopsy report, which The Arizona Republic obtained March 3, found that his death was a homicide with multiple gunshot wounds to the head. The first page of Kjolsrud’s autopsy report also ruled her death a homicide with her cause of death being gunshot wounds to the head and upper body.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office detectives ultimately arrested Thomas Brown, 31, of Chandler on Oct. 2, 2025, in connection with their deaths. Brown was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder and remained in jail on a $2 million cash-only bond.

Detectives found Brown’s DNA on gloves inside Clark’s SUV that had Kjolsrud’s blood on them as well, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Partial autopsy reports made available following legal fight

While The Republic has obtained the first pages of both Clark’s and Kjolsrud’s autopsy reports, the remaining pages appeared to remain sealed as of March 3 since Simone Kjolsrud, Pandora’s mother, petitioned to have the autopsy reports sealed or redacted. Simone Kjolsrud argued that various details about her daughter and aspects of her personal life, potentially included in such documents, should remain private and outweigh the public’s right to know.

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A Sept. 25, 2025, motion that sought to block the report’s release argued the report could contain information law enforcement hasn’t yet shared and could impair the ongoing criminal investigation.

“Simone Kjolsrud fears that, if released, her daughter’s Medical Examiner’s Report may end up on the internet or be broadcast on the news, which would undoubtedly cause additional trauma and even jeopardize her constitutional right to justice in this case,” the motion stated.

Kjolsrud asked that Clark’s autopsy be sealed as well, arguing that it would likely contain details similar to her daughter’s.

Matthew Kelley, an attorney representing The Republic and other Arizona media outlets, previously objected to the autopsies being sealed and asked that the temporary protective order be vacated.

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“To be sure, these killings are particularly traumatic for a surviving family member,” Kelley wrote in his objection. “But the pain felt by a family member cannot override the public’s right to inspect public records reflecting the performance of law enforcement and other public agencies entrusted with investigating such crimes. A veil of secrecy only raises unnecessary speculation about such public performance.”

It was not immediately clear whether Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Fish, who initially ordered the autopsies remain sealed as he reviewed their contents, would unseal additional pages in their entirety or with redactions.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at perry.vandell@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-2474. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @PerryVandell.





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No. 2 Arizona tops Iowa State to win outright Big 12 title

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No. 2 Arizona tops Iowa State to win outright Big 12 title


TUCSON, Ariz. — Jaden Bradley scored 17 points, Motiejus Krivas had 13 and No. 2 Arizona clinched the outright Big 12 regular-season title with a 73-57 win over No. 6 Iowa State on Monday night.

The Wildcats (28-2, 15-2) secured at least a share of the conference crown by using big runs in each half to beat No. 14 Kansas 84-61 on Saturday.

Arizona earned it outright by smothering Iowa State defensively to give Tommy Lloyd his 140th victory, most in NCAA history in a coach’s first five seasons.

“The Big 12 is the best basketball conference in the country,” Lloyd said while addressing the home crowd after the game, “and to win it by a couple of games, it’s pretty impressive. So take your hats off to these guys right here.”

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Coming off their first home loss of the season, the Cyclones (24-6, 11-6) labored against Arizona’s physical defense, shooting 29% from the field, including 7-of-30 from 3-point range.

During his postgame news conference, Lloyd called out the narrative surrounding his team when discussing the Wildcats’ toughness and physicality.

“I think the narrative that we were soft is lazy. I mean, look at our stats, look at our analytics — we’ve always been a great rebounding team, we’ve always pounded the paint,” Lloyd said. “If you want to just be lazy and not pay attention and say we’re soft because we’re on the West Coast, be lazy, and I’d love to play against you.”

Tamin Lipsey led Iowa State with 17 points, but leading scorer Milan Momcilovic was held to five points on 2-of-8 shooting. The nation’s best 3-point shooter at 51%, Momcilovic went 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.

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Neither team could make much of anything, due to good defense and poor shooting.

Iowa State shot 9-of-33 from the field and 4-of-20 from 3 in the first half.

Arizona labored most of the half as the Cyclones focused on defending the paint before the Wildcats closed on a 15-3 run to lead 37-25 at halftime.

It only got worse for Iowa State to start the second half. The Cyclones missed their first eight shots as Arizona stretched the lead to 16.

Iowa State briefly found an offensive rhythm, using a 10-1 run to pull to within 44-37, but didn’t hit a field goal for more than five minutes as Arizona stretched the lead back to 15.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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Arizona NAACP responds to ‘Simon Says’ case, calls for police accountability

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Arizona NAACP responds to ‘Simon Says’ case, calls for police accountability


PHOENIX — The Arizona NAACP is responding to the violent arrest of Israel Devoe, a Phoenix man who was acquitted of all charges stemming from a 2024 traffic stop in which officers punched, kneed, and elbowed him.

Sarah Tyree, president of the Arizona NAACP State Conference, said the case is part of a broader and familiar pattern.

“What happened here reflects a pattern our communities know all too well. Time and again, we see policing tactics that are dangerous and deeply harmful to civilians, yet are later justified as ‘within policy’ through carefully crafted reports and the broad protections afforded under Graham v. Connor,” Tyree wrote in an emailed statement following an ABC15 investigation.

RELATEDPhoenix man to file lawsuit after dangerous game of ‘Simon Says’ with police

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Phoenix police officials found all four officers involved in Devoe’s arrest to have acted within policy, records show.

After a two-day trial, jurors unanimously found Devoe not guilty on all four of the felony charges against him — including aggravated assault on officers and resisting arrest.

In her statement, Tyree said true accountability is not possible without changing state law.

“Accountability remains out of reach in Arizona because the Peace Officers’ Bill of Rights continues to insulate misconduct from meaningful oversight, too often shifting blame onto the very communities most impacted by these encounters,” she wrote. “We also encourage Arizona voters to engage their state legislators and advocate for the repeal or amendment of the Peace Officers’ Bill of Rights to ensure systems of public safety are truly accountable to the public they serve.”

Devoe’s case again highlights problems with policing in Phoenix, which has been under scrutiny following a Department of Justice investigation that found the city had a pattern and practice of using excessive force, discrimination, and weak oversight.

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The push for federal oversight ended in 2025 after the Trump administration ended such efforts across the country.

Devoe’s civil attorney, Jesse Showalter, also represents Tyron McAlpin, a deaf Black man with cerebral palsy who was violently arrested by Phoenix officers in July 2024. Showalter has said both cases reflect what he described as an accepted norm of extreme violence within the Phoenix Police Department.

A Phoenix police spokesperson said the department declines to comment because Devoe is set to file a lawsuit against the city.

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This digital article was produced with the assistance of AI and converted to this platform based on the broadcast story written and reported by ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing (Dave@abc15.com). Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. 





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