Arizona head volleyball coach Dave Rubio has been talking about his long-term plans for the program since 2019. That's when he signed a top-10 class that he felt could eventually put the Wildcats firmly into the top half of the conference and into the national conversation. Sophomore Jaelyn Hodge is a big reason why.
Last season, Hodge and 2020-21 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Sofia Maldonado Diaz showed what they could do on offense. The problem for the Wildcats is that both had a way to go to turn into the kind of six-rotation players that Rubio needed.