Pair of Road Matchups Up Next for #9 Volleyball

Ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 2015, No. 9 Sun Devil Volleyball will hit the road to square off with conference foes West Virginia and Cincinnati on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. 

Game Notes /// 2024 Volleyball Notables

How to Follow 
Arizona State will kick the road trip off with a contest against West Virginia. The Sun Devils will take on the Mountaineers on Thursday night at 7 p.m. EST/5 p.m. MST at the WVU Coliseum. The next stop on the road trip will lead ASU to Cincinnati, where they will take on the Bearcats at 1 p.m. EST/11 a.m. MST on Saturday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena. 

Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats as well. Updates will be provided on social media on X (@SunDevilVB) and Instagram (@sundevilvolleyball).

Sun Devil Outlook
No 9. Arizona State (24-2, 12-1 Big 12)

• Arizona State picked up two massive conference wins last week. ASU downed then-No. 8 Kansas in four sets to give the Sun Devils possession of first place in the conference. ASU kept the momentum rolling and defended home turf with a Friday night victory over Kansas State (3-1).
• In the AVCA Coaches Poll, Arizona State has climbed into the top 10, currently sitting at No. 9 in the country. This is the first time under head coach JJ Van Niel that the Sun Devils have been ranked in the top 10.
• ASU improved to 5-2 against ranked teams this year with the win over No. 8 Kansas. The 5-2 mark is the best record they have seen against fellow top 25 teams in the 2000s.
• Arizona State has now extended their winning streak to 12 in a row, which is the fourth-longest win streak in program history and the second double-digit win streak under Van Niel (14 in a row in 2023).
• After a stellar blocking week, graduate middle blocker Claire Jeter was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. It is her first weekly award of her career and the fifth for the Sun Devils this year. It is tied with last season for the most weekly awards in a single season in program history. She has had six or more blocks in three-straight matches and in four of the last five. In the win over then-No. 8 Kansas, she led the team in blocks with seven, helping the team get 14 on the night. She also had 10 kills that night, her seventh time this year in double figures. To help ASU beat Kansas State, Jeter tied her career high in blocks with nine and pushed Arizona State to 15 team blocks, a season high. The team has had double-digit blocks in three-straight matches.
• Senior outside hitter Geli Cyr reached a monumental milestone by eclipsing 1,000 kills, all of which coming as a Sun Devil. Cyr is on pace to shatter her former single season career high of 328 kills as she currently sits at 320 kills with five regular season matches awaiting. She also is just 58 digs away from 1,000 in that category.
• Graduate Libero Mary Shroll added to her illustrious career, posting her 100th career game with double digit digs by picking up 12 in the win over K-State. Shroll has now tallied 443 digs on the season, which leads the Big 12.
• Making an impact late in the season, graduate pin hitter Roberta Rabelo will look to build off her season-best performance against Kansas State. Rabelo paced the Sun Devils with a game-high 13 kills, which was good for her season high. She has been the starting opposite hitter in the last three matches ever since coming off the bench at BYU to help ASU to victory.

Opponent Outlook
West Virginia (8-15, 2-10 Big 12)

• The Mountaineers are currently riding a four match skid, with their most recent loss coming at the hands of Cincinnati in straight sets.
• West Virginia went 9-22 in the 2023 campaign, missing out on the NCAA tournament.
• This will be the first matchup between Arizona State and West Virginia since 1989. The Sun Devils picked up the lone win bringing the all-time record to 1-0 in favor of ASU. 

Cincinnati (13-10, 4-8 Big 12)

• The Bearcats split a pair of Big 12 contests with a win over West Virginia (3-0) and a loss at Colorado in straight sets.
• Cincinnati will host Arizona on Thursday night prior to their Saturday afternoon matchup against the Sun Devils.
• Cincinnati posted a 12-16 record in 2023. 
• ASU holds a 3-0 all-time advantage over Cincinnati with their most recent matchup dating back to 2002.