Nebraska Classic Awaits #14 Volleyball

By: Danny Sullivan, media relations intern

Tempe – No. 14 Sun Devil Volleyball will look to keep the win streak rolling as the next challenge leads the team to the Midwest to compete in the Nebraska Classic for the final non-conference road trip of the season, facing Wichita State, No. 5 Nebraska and Long Beach State. 

ASU Notes /// Best Starts in Sun Devil Volleyball History /// Season Stats

How to Follow
All three matches this weekend will be at Bob Devaney Sports Center. Arizona State will face Wichita State to start the tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. CDT/4 p.m. MST before taking on the host team No. 5 Nebraska on Saturday at 7 p.m. CDT/5 p.m. MST. The weekend will conclude with a matchup against Long Beach State on Sunday at 11 a.m. CDT/9 a.m. MST.

The match against tournament host Nebraska will be streamed on the Big Ten Network/Fox Sports Go; the other matches will not be streamed. There will be live stats for all matches, and fans can listen to every match on Blaze Raido. Updates will be provided on social media as well on X (@SunDevilVB) and Instagram (@sundevilvolleyball).

Sun Devil Outlook
No. 14 Arizona State (6-0)

• The Sun Devils added to their win, improving to 6-0 after another 3-0 weekend. At the Jack Talmadge Volleyball Classic, ASU beat the host team San Diego, as well as UC Santa Barbara and St. John's. ASU has not lost a non-conference match since September 16, 2022.
• Arizona State moved up two spots in the AVCA Coaches Poll to No. 14, the highest ranking in the JJ Van Niel era and the best ranking since 2015. This is the 13th-consecutive poll the Sun Devils have been ranked in.
• Graduate libero Mary Shroll was named the MVP of the jack Talmadge Classic after totaling 58 digs and six aces over the weekend. She had double-digit digs in each win, including a season high of 24 against San Diego. In every match this season, she has reached double figures.
• Graduates Claire Jeter and Shania Cromartie were named to the all-tournament team. Jeter hit a blistering .566 over the three matches and had 30 kills and a team-best 13 blocks. Cromartie led the team in kills with 37, earning double figures in each win. She also had 30 digs.
• Claire Jeter is off to a stellar start to 2024. She is ranked No. 1 in the nation in hitting percentage with .625 and has zero errors. In the record book, she has the No. 4 and No. 5 spots for top individual hitting percentage in the rally-scoring era. For blocking she is now tied for fifth in career total blocks in ASU history with 362.
• Junior defensive specialist Estella Zatechka is returning to her home state. She is from Omaha and attended Elkhorn South High School.

Opponent Outlook
Wichita State (3-3)

• The Shockers competed in the Woo Pig invitational last weekend, going 1-1 in their matchups with a 3-0 loss to host No. 21 Arkansas and bouncing back with a 3-1 win over Little Rock.
• Last year, Wichita State went 26-8, including a NVIC tournament championship winning 3-0 over UTEP.
• ASU leads in the all-time series 2-0, the last meeting being in 2013.

No. 5 Nebraska (5-1)

• The Cornhuskers got back in the win column this past weekend improving their record to 5-1 after falling in a mid-week match to SMU. They posted 3-0 wins over The Citadel and Montana State in the Husker Invitational.
• In 2023, Nebraska went 33-2, making it all the way to the NCAA championship but falling short to national champion Texas, losing 3-0.
• In the all-time series between ASU and Nebraska, the Cornhuskers lead 4-1-1. The two teams last met in 2021, with Nebraska winning in straight sets.

Long Beach State (2-2)

• Long Beach State hosted Northwestern in two non-conference matchups, picking up wins in both (3-1),(3-2).
• Last year, the Dirtbags went 21-10, including a 13-5 mark in the Big West. Long Beach State made it to the Big West tournament championship, eventually losing to Hawaii 0-3.
• Arizona State leads Long Beach State in the all-time series 9-5.