PEACH SPRINGS, AZ (AZFamily) — Hualapai Nation Police say they’ve arrested two illegal immigrants suspected of being involved in train robberies after they were led on an overnight chase along an Northern Arizona highway.

According to authorities, officers conducted a traffic stop around 2:40 a.m. Thursday on a maroon Chevy Tahoe that had been linked to the robberies. Once police pulled the vehicle over, eight people had run away, and the driver, identified as a man from Mexico, was detained. During the stop, police said they located evidence of stolen property, Nike shoes, near the vehicle.

Investigators say then, a white Toyota 4Runner was pulled over near mile marker 95 on Route 66, near Hackberry, for failing to yield to emergency vehicles. During that stop, a sergeant and patrol officer approached the SUV and reportedly saw signs of criminal activity and more evidence of being linked to the train robberies.

The sergeant asked the driver to step out of the vehicle, and while she initially complied, police said she got back on the wheel, hit the patrol officer, and then sped away. That officer wasn’t hurt, but it prompted Hualapai Nation officers to initiate a pursuit.

The pursuit lasted about 80 miles and finished near the Arizona-California state line, where the suspects’ vehicle reportedly lost control in a construction zone and crashed into a guardrail, causing the driver to be thrown out of the car.

The driver was taken to a hospital in Mohave Valley for treatment before she and the passenger, identified only as a man, were booked into the Mohave County jail for the crime. Police say both of them were in the U.S. illegally and that charges include unlawful flight and aggravated assault on an officer.

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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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

Devyn Netz can do it all. She proved it against BYU on Thursday afternoon, throwing a perfect game and hitting a home run in a five-inning run-rule victory. The No. 11 Arizona Wildcats defeated the Cougars 8-0 at Gail Miller Field in Provo, Utah.

Netz commanded the zone and got some strong play from her defense behind her. Freshman third baseman Jenna Sniffen was a machine all game, starting the 5-3 putout time and again.

The best play was the final one, and it came from second baseman Kiki Escobar. BYU pinch hitter Keila Kamoku hit a hard ball toward Escobar, who knocked it down. The question was whether she could get it and throw to Miranda Stoddard at first in time. Escobar kept her cool and made the play just in time.

Netz was the star of the show, though. Arizona had a combined perfect game thrown by Brooke Mannon and Ali Blanchard last season, but the last time a pitcher threw a solo perfect game was in 2017. Michelle Floyd performed the feat against Hartford that year. The last to do it in conference play was Kenzie Fowler against Oregon State in 2010.

Netz became just the sixth Arizona pitcher to throw a solo perfect game in program history. Eight pitchers have achieved it either solo or combined. Thirty-one Wildcat pitchers have now thrown a no-hitter, either solo or combined.

Netz is a complete player. It didn’t stop at her pitching performance. She also made strong plays on defense and showed her prowess in the batter’s box.

Arizona came into the top of the fifth with a 6-0 lead. They needed two runs to be in position to close the game out in five innings in the bottom of the inning. The redshirt senior provided the RBI to reach the eight-run plateau.

Kaiah Altmeyer walked on four straight pitches to lead off. Netz took one ball then smacked the next pitch over the fence.

Arizona’s all-around dominance took a little while to get going. While Netz was locked in as a pitcher from the beginning, the offense took a few at-bats to take over.

The middle of the order had a tough time in their last game at Arizona State on Sunday. That wasn’t the case in Provo.

While Netz struck out to end the first and had a foul-out in a prime scoring opportunity in the third, the four through seven hitters did a ton of damage overall. Five-hole hitter Sydney Stewart walked to lead off the second inning. No. 6 hitter Stoddard took two strikes before knocking the ball out of the park to give Arizona a 2-0 lead in the second.

The scoring in the third inning was a prime example of scoring runs any way you can, which head coach Caitlin Lowe talked about before the team left for BYU.

It started with a single by Dakota Kennedy. Regan Shockey put two on with no outs with an error on the shortstop that could have been ruled a hit. Kaiah Altmeyer moved both into scoring position with a flyout to centerfield.

That brought Netz up just needing to repeat Altemeyer’s at-bat to get another run across. The foul-out made it more difficult for Arizona to tack on some runs.

Stewart’s infield single pushed Kennedy across and moved Shockey to third. Stoddard walked to load the bases with two outs.

It was on freshman Anyssa Wild to make something happen. It was a big occasion for Arizona’s designated player. She was once committed to play for BYU but took the field for her hometown Wildcats.

Wild grounded out in her first at-bat. This time, she knocked a ball all the way to the wall, driving in three runs with her first career double. It put the Wildcats up 6-0 and set up the fifth-inning heroics of Netz.

Netz threw just 45 pitches to 15 batters in five innings. She struck out two.

The Wildcats’ offense had six hits, including a double and two home runs. They also took advantage of five walks and one BYU error.

All eight RBI came from the four through seven hitters as did five of the six hits. Stewart was 2 for 3 with one RBI at the plate. Stoddard was 1 for 2 with a walk and a home run. She had two RBI. Wild led the team with three RBI while going 1 for 2 and drawing a walk.

Arizona improved to 30-5 on the season and 7-3 in Big 12 play. BYU is now 20-7 overall and 4-3 in league play.

Lead photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics