Arizona
Arizona volleyball to host Bowling Green in NIVC championship match
Arizona head coach Rita Stubbs has said a few times that winning the NIVC would prove that the Wildcats are the “65th best team” in Division I volleyball. The Wildcats are arguably better than several teams that got into the NCAA Tournament, including some at-large teams that were taken over them, but her point is well taken. If a team doesn’t win its league or impress the selection committee enough, it doesn’t have the chance to prove that it’s better than those teams.
It can still win a championship, though. And that’s just what the Wildcats will try to do.
Arizona (23-9, 9-9 Big 12) will host Bowling Green (25-9, 16-2 MAC) in the NIVC tournament title game on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. MST in McKale Center. The match will stream on ESPN+.
The Wildcats got a first-round bye in the tourney before defeating the Pacific Tigers, the Wyoming Cowgirls, and the Northern Colorado Bears. They dropped just one set, losing the third set of their match against the Bears in the Fab 4.
The three teams UA faced were ranked No. 128, No. 107, and No. 68 in RPI before the tournament. They will now take on the 85th-ranked Falcons.
BGSU and Arizona have one common opponent in Big 12 team Cincinnati. The Wildcats defeated UC 3-1 in Cincinnati. The Bearcats defeated BGSU 3-0 in Bowling Green.
The Falcons’ only ranked opponent this season was No. 22 Dayton. The Flyers defeated BGSU in straight sets. Arizona went 2-8 against teams that were ranked at the time of the match and 2-9 against teams that were ranked at some point over the season.
BGSU’s other major conference opponents were Big Ten teams Ohio State and Illinois. It lost in straight sets to the Illini. It lost both matches in a home-and-home played against the Buckeyes. OSU swept the Falcons at home and beat them 3-1 in Bowling Green.
Once hitting the NIVC, BGSU has been resilient. It beat Binghamton and Wright State 3-1 at home. In both cases, the opponent won the first set 25-18 before the Falcons came back to win three straight.
BGSU then went on the road to play DePaul. Once again, it won 3-1. The Falcons dominated the Blue Demons in the first two sets before dropping the third. They regrouped to easily win the fourth.
The Fab 4 was even more difficult for the Falcons. They fell behind St. John’s 0-2 in Queens, N.Y. They narrowly defeated the Red Storm in the third before blowing them out in the fourth and taking a close fifth on the way to a reverse sweep.
Lead photo by Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics
Arizona
Report: Cardinals Met With Hula Bowl OL
ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals have met with another Hula Bowl prospect, according to Ryan Fowler.
After previously having meetings with Wisconsin LB Jaheim Thomas and Illinois EDGE Seth Coleman, Arizona also has met with North Dakota State OL Mason Miller.
Miller just finished his fifth season at North Dakota State and does not have any official stats recorded for 2024 on his bio from the school, though he did start at multiple spots in 2023:
“Started all 15 games for the Bison, the first three at right tackle before moving to left guard for the remainder of the season…Blocked for an offense that ranked fourth in the FCS averaging 237.3 rushing yards per game and led the nation in rushing yards (3,560), rushing touchdowns (47) and offensive touchdowns (69)…The Bison also ranked second nationally in passing efficiency, completion percentage and red zone scoring.”
Versatility is certainly a tool that’s coveted by the Cardinals, especially along the offensive line. Miller having experience both inside and outside will only be a positive for him at the next level.
Arizona’s offensive line could look a lot different at the start of next year. Besides left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and center Hjlate Froholdt, all three spots are up for grabs for Week 1 of the 2025 season.
Starting left guard Evan Brown is set to hit free agency while the Cardinals may not be sold on either Isaiah Adams or Trystan Colon at right guard, both of whom split time throughout the year. Right tackle Jonah Williams suffered a season-ending injury and his status to open 2025 is very much in question while backup swing tackle Kelvin Beachum could retire.
Arizona
Arizona State friendship bench connects generations to ease loneliness
PHOENIX (AZFamily)—In a world of technology and social media, we’ve never been more connected to others. However, recent studies have shown that we’ve also never been more lonely.
According to a recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services, about half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness.
However, a new initiative at Arizona State University is working to change that through its friendship bench, and that is Something Good.
The bench is meant to encourage younger and older folks just to sit and talk to one another about anything.
One of the participants is ASU alumna Pencie Culiver, who sits on the bench every Tuesday with a sign that says, “I’m all ears.”
She invited anyone to sit with her, whether for a few minutes or half an hour.
“I have really had some interesting questions, people sit down for half an hour, other people two minutes, so a big variety,” said Culiver. “I believe that I have heard most of anything, it also has taught me, kids really are lonely and they don’t have somebody to divulge things they don’t even want to divulge to their roommate or their classmate and also the complications of education we did not have when we went to ASU a long, long time ago.”
The ASU Friendship Bench Program started this past fall semester with about a dozen residents of Mirabella, a university-based retirement community located on the college campus.
Thank you to Culiver, ASU and all the participants for connecting with others and making the world a little less lonely.
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Arizona
Arizona school offers to donate clothing and blankets to Altadena students
The leader of the Aveson Charter Schools surveyed the damage the Eaton Fire caused to one of their campuses. Despite the destruction, the students’ next lesson may move some to tears thanks to the surprising support from strangers.
“Their school said that they wanted to adopt our school, just beautiful,” said Ian McFeat, executive director of Aveson Charter School.
The 14,000-acre Eaton Fire decimated Altadena neighborhoods, destroying or damaging at least 7,000 structures – making it one of California’s most destructive blazes. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, at least 16 people have died as a result of the wildfire. The only blaze in LA County with more deaths than the Eaton Fire happened in 1933 at Griffith Park. It killed 29 people.
For days, McFeat has juggled finding support for students and teachers who lost homes. McFeats own house was destroyed in the fire.
Wednesday, his team will bring the school community together to comfort one another. While they have offers to temporarily use another site for classes, it’s not clear when that might happen.
McFeat said his team has no connection to the Arizona school offering support and cannot wait to share it with their students.
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