TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State volleyball team (10-12, 0-10 Pac-12) is set to welcome the Bay Area schools, No. 2 Stanford (17-2, 10-0 Pac-12) and California (12-9, 3-7 Pac-12), on Friday and Sunday, respectively, at Wells Fargo Arena.
Friday's match against the reigning National Champion Cardinal is set for an 8 p.m. PT first serve, while Sunday's match against the Golden Bears will start at 11 a.m. MST. Both matches will air on the Pac-12 Network, with Kevin Barnett on each of the respective calls.
How To Follow The Action:
Stanford -- Watch | Live Stats
California -- Watch | Live Stats
Gameday Promotions:
Stanford -- We need all Sun Devil fans in the building as we take on the 2016 National Champions. Be there, be loud, and PACK THE HOUSE. Come dressed in your best Halloween costume.
California -- Join us for Daddy-Daughter Day on Sunday as we celebrate the special bond between fathers and daughters. Stick around after the match ends to get an autograph from all your favorite Sun Devils for the last time this season. 500 fans will receive the fourth and final autograph card of the limited series.
Scouting The Opposition:
No. 2 Stanford (17-2, 10-0 Pac-12)
Season Averages/Conference/National Ranking -- Hitting Percentage (.297/1/10); Kills/s (14.09/3/35); Assists/s (13.08/4/35); Digs/s (11.95/12/322); Aces/s (1.59/1/26); Blocks/s (3.03/2/7); Opponent Hitting Percentage (.173/1/51).
Categorical Leaders -- Kills/s (Kathryn Plummer, 4.58); Assists/s (Jenna Gray, 11.62); Aces/s (Jenna Gray, 0.44); Digs/s (Morgan Hentz, 3.73); Blocks/s (Tami Alade, 1.47).
California (12-9, 3-7 Pac-12)
Season Averages/Conference/National Ranking -- Hitting Percentage (.239/9/66); Kills/s (12.79/10/142); Assists/s (12.08/10/135); Digs/s (13.66/11/253); Aces/s (1.21/5/191); Blocks/s (1.70/12/262); Opponent Hitting Percentage (.225/12/259).
Categorical Leaders -- Kills/s (Antzela Dempi, 2.91); Assists/s (Mackenzie Albrecht, 5.97); Aces/s (Antzela Dempi, 0.50); Digs/s (Mima Mirkovic, 3.22); Blocks/s (Preslie Anderson, 0.76).
All-Time Series Records:
No. 2 Stanford -- Stanford leads, 5-69 (A: 1-35, H: 4-30, N: 0-4); Last Meeting: L, 0-3, Sep. 27
California -- ASU leads, 35-30 (A: 17-16, H: 17-13, N: 1-1); Last Meeting: L, 0-3, Sep. 29
Coaching Note_Sun Devil assistant coach Carlos Moreno will serve as interim head coach this upcoming weekend while Coach Sanja Tomasevic readies for the delivery of her first child.
Last Time Out_The Sun Devils visited the Pacific Northwest, dropping matches to Oregon State (3-1, Oct. 20) and Oregon (3-0, Oct. 21).
Harker Surpasses 1,800 Career Digs, @SunDevilVB Falls In Four To OSU_Senior libero Halle Harker recorded a match-best 24 digs, bringing her career total to 1,813, as the Sun Devils fell in four 29-27, 17-25, 16-25, 23-25 on Friday, Oct. 20 at Gil Coliseum. The effort made her just the third Sun Devil in program history to surpass the 1,800 mark. Offensively, senior right-side hitter Oluoma Okaro led the Sun Devils with 21 kills on the night, just short of a double-double with nine digs. Following Okaro with kills were sophomore outside hitter Ivana Jeremic with 13 kills and freshman outside hitter Griere Hughes with 11.
@SunDevilVB Falls To No. 15 Oregon In Weekend Cap_The Sun Devils fell in three sets to No. 15 Oregon (13-5, 6-4 Pac-12), 20-25, 21-25, 14-25, on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Matthew Knight Arena. Sun Devil senior Oluoma Okaro paced the Maroon and Gold with 14 kills, while Sophomore Ivana Jeremic added 11. Okaro, who also posted eight digs in the effort, has recorded double-digit kills tallies in 20 of the Sun Devils' 22 matches on the season.
New Year, Same Oly_In each of Arizona State's four tournaments during the non-conference slate Oluoma Okaro garnered all-tournament team recognition. After collecting MVP honors at the Arizona State-hosted Sun Devil Classic, Aug. 25-26, Okaro went on to net placement on the all-tournament teams of the Gonzaga Invitational (Sep. 1-2) and Lumberjack Classic (Sep. 8-9), and Maverick Classic (Sep. 15-16), respectively. Having paced the Sun Devils on the attack in 15 of the team's 20 matches on the season, Okaro boasts a kills per set average of 4.51, marking the third-best tally in the conference and the 15th-best in the country. Her points per set average of 5.19 accounts for the third-best in the league, while her nine double-doubles on the campaign sits in a tie for the fifth most in the Pac-12.
Okaro's Career Day_Oluoma Okaro was a bright spot in Arizona State's five-set, 3-2 loss to No. 7 Washington on Sep. 24, recording a career high 30 kills on .414 attacking. The senior's 30 kills tie for the most kills in a single match by a Sun Devil in the rally scoring era (since 2001) with current assistant coach Macey Gardner (9/24/14 at Arizona) and former standout Sarah Reaves (9/20/08 vs. W. Kentucky). Okaro now holds the season best mark for kills in the Pac-12 Conference, surpassing Stanford's Kathryn Plummer's 27 kills from Sept. 1.
Pac-12 Individual Match Highs | Kills
-- 30 (30- 6-58) 5s Okaro, Oluoma (Arizona State) vs Washington (Sep 24, 2017)
-- 27 (27- 5-50) 4s Plummer, Kathryn (Stanford) vs Penn State (Sep 01, 2017)
-- 26 (26- 6-57) 5s Anae, Adora (Utah) at Kentucky (Aug 25, 2017)
-- 25 (25-9-61) 5s Anae, Adora (Utah) at Washington (Oct. 6, 2017)
-- 25 (25-10-68) 5s Smith, Alexa (Colorado) vs Stanford (Sep 24, 2017)
-- 25 (25- 7-58) 5s Smith, Alexa (Colorado) at Colorado State (Sep 16, 2017)
Arizona State Individual Match Records (Rally Scoring Era) | Kills
-- Macey Gardner (9/24/14 at Arizona) 30
-- Sarah Reaves (9/20/08 vs. W. Kentucky) 30
-- Oluoma Okaro (11/24/17 vs. UW) 30
-- Macey Gardner (11/21/14 at WSU) 29
-- Macey Gardner (10/24/13 at Utah) 29
-- Macey Gardner (11/15/14 vs. Oregon) 28
-- Macey Gardner (8/31/12 at UC Irvine) 28
-- Sarah Reaves (9/27/07 vs. Oregon) 28
Hark! The Halle Digs_Sun Devil senior liber Halle Harker's career digs tally of 1,832 marks the third-best in Arizona State program history, and also constitutes the 9th most in the NCAA among active players. The Pac-12 conference's current leader in digs per set at a clip of 5.50, Harker sits 18th in the nation in that category.
ASU Career Digs Leaders
-- Sydney Donahue, 2004-07-- 2385
-- Stephanie Preach, 2010-2013—2010
-- Halle Harker, 2014-present—1832
-- Christy Nore, 1985-88 –1597
-- Jami Coughlin, 1998-2001—1528
Harker's Digs By Season
-- 2014: 521
-- 2015: 423
-- 2016: 459
-- 2017: 429 and counting...
Harker Earns Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Honors_Following a historic outing at UT Arlington's Maverick Classic (Sep. 15-16), Harker garnered Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors, as announced by the league office on Sep. 18.The recognition represents the first of Harker's career, while marking the 22nd player of the week nod in Sun Devil program history. Buoying the Sun Devil defensive effort on the weekend, Harker compiled 61 digs (6.10 dps), while adding 18 assists, to help propel the Sun Devils (10-2), to perfect, 3-0 showing at the UT Arlington-hosted Maverick Classic. Most notably her 23-dig outing in Arizona State's 3-1 victory (25-20, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19) over Houston Baptist on Sep. 16, moved her into third in Sun Devil program history in career digs.
Dishing On Peterson_Sun Devil sophomore Nicole Peterson has begun to assert herself as a force at the setter position for the Sun Devils. The Portland, Ore. native who has logged 10 starts on the season, boasts an assists per set tally of 10.76, good enough for the fourth-best mark in the conference. Her four double-doubles on the campaign account for the second-most on the team with fellow sophomore Ivana Jeremic.
Hughes & Peterson Record Career Days In Sun Devils' Four Set Loss To No. 13 Utah_Sun Devil freshman outside hitter Griere Hughes recorded a career-best/match-best 18 kills in Arizona State's four-set loss to No. 13 Utah this past Sunday. She has now recorded double-figures kills tallies in 11 of the Sun Devils' 20 outings on the season. Sophomore setter Nicole Peterson recorded a career high 53 assists and added 14 digs for her fourth career double-double and third this season.
Taking The Reins_Coach Tomasevic is one of four newcomer head coaches in the Pac-12 conference this season. Tomasevic joins Matt Ulmer (Oregon), Matt McShane (California) and Kevin Hambly (Stanford) as first-year head coaches in the conference.
Been There, Done That_Arizona State's coaching staff - Sanja Tomasevic (head coach), Carlos Moreno (assistant coach), Macey Gardner (assistant coach), Nellie Coleman (director of operations) and Kyle Breitbarth (volunteer assistant coach) - boasts an impressive, collective playing resume. Head coach Sanja Tomasevic, was a two-time All-American and the 2005 Asics and CVU.com National Player of the Year at the University of Washington, and led the Huskies to four NCAA tournament appearances, including the 2005 National Championship, and a pair of Pac-10 Conference titles. In October of 2016, Tomasevic became just the second individual volleyball player to be inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame. The former outside hitter ended her collegiate career as Washington's all-time leader in points (2,159.5), kills (1,795) and service aces (156). She is one of only five players in Huskies history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Assistant Carlos Moreno compiled a prolific playing career as a setter at Brigham University, garnering essentially every national award possible, including AVCA and MPSF Player of the year honors. A three-year starter for the Cougars, Moreno amassed 4,628 career assists, marking the second-most in program in history, while adding 78 career aces (4th-most in program history). Spearheading BYU NCAA Championship runs in 2003 and 2004, Moreno earned a plethora of Player of the Year and MVP honors while also being placed on MSPF's and AVCA's respective first-teams. A two-time All-American and the 2004 AVCA National Player of the Year, Moreno led the Cougars to two NCAA tournament appearances, including the 2004 National Championship, and a pair of MPSF Conference titles. Assistant Macey Gardner is widely considered as of the greatest to ever don the Arizona State maroon and gold, and concluded her collegiate career as Arizona State's all-time kills leader with 1,882 to her credit. Arizona State's second ever three-time All-Pac-12 honoree, she was just the 17th Sun Devil to record 1,000 career digs, and just the 10th to record 1,000 or more kills and digs in her career. Director of operations Nellie Coleman compiled a prolific four-year career at UCLA as a setter, garnering a laundry list of accolades. A three-time AVCA First Team All-American, a three-time All-Pac-10 selectee, and three-time All-Pacific Region member, Coleman concluded her career as one of the best to ever don the UCLA gold and blue. Amassing exceptional career marks in assists (6,000/2nd most in program history) and digs (1,299/3rd most in program history), Coleman, formerly known as Nellie Spicer, anchored the Bruins to four postseason appearances including a Final Four Appearance in 2006. Sun Devil volunteer assistant Kyle Breitbarth competed as a member of the University of Illinois men's club volleyball team from 2010-16. Boasting an impressice collegiate career donning the Illini blue and orange, he was a member of the 2013 NCVF University of Illinois national championship team, while helping propel the squad to a Big Ten championship and program-best 71-11 record in 2016.
Youth Movement_A trio of Sun Devil true freshman including Griere Hughes, Shelbie Dobmeier and Megan Beedie, have shined over the course of the 2017 season. Hughes, an outside hitter from Fishers, Indiana, has notched double-figure kills tallies in 12 of Arizona State's 22 outings on the season. She currently boasts a kills per set average of 2.96. Dobmeier, a setter, from Lakewood, Calif, qualified as the Pac-12 assists leader for a span of six weeks, and sits with season tally of 10.73 to her credit. Beedie, a middle blocker from Cambridge, Ontario, has made four starts while making appearances in eight matches on the season for the Sun Devils, logging 33 kills and 11 total blocks in that span.
There's No Place Like Home_Arizona State officially rang in the 2017 season playing host to the Sun Devils Classic, Aug. 25-26. The team exited the outing unscathed, garnering straight-set victories over Weber State, North Dakota State and 2016 NCAA tournament team Boise State respectively. Senior Oluoma Okaro paced Arizona State in kills in each of the team's three weekend matches to earn tournament MVP honors, while freshman setter Shelbie Dobmeier notched consecutive double-doubles to cap the tournament and earn selection to the Sun Devil Classic All-Tournament team. The Sun Devils are now 14-1 in home openers, dating back back to 2002.
Tomasevic Garners First Career Win_In her first match at the helm of the Sun Devil volleyball program, first-year head coach Sanja Tomasevic guided the Sun Devils to a 3-0 straight-set sweep of visiting Weber St on Aug. 25. The statement victory preceded two additional wins, seeing the Sun Devils exit the weekend at a perfect 3-0 season mark.
Pac-12 Slate_Arizona State will hit the road again next week as they head back to California, this time to the southern part of the state. The Sun Devils will take on USC (Friday, Nov. 3rd) and UCLA (Saturday, Nov. 4th), each for the second time on the season. During their final home stand, the Sun Devils will welcome Oregon (Thursday, Nov. 9th) and Oregon State (Saturday, Nov. 11th). Arizona State will honor the senior class during the final match on Nov. 11th against Oregon State. The Sun Devils will then hit the road to cap Pac-12 play with trips to Utah (Friday, Nov. 17th), Colorado (Saturday, Nov. 18), Washington State (Wednesday, Nov. 22) and Arizona (Saturday, Nov. 25).
Preseason Sun Devil All-Tournament Selections
--Sun Devil Classic (Aug. 25-26): Oluoma Okaro (MVP), Shelbie Dobmeier
--Gonzaga Invitational (Sep. 1-2): Oluoma Okaro
--Lumberjack Classic (Sep. 8-9): Halle Harker (MVP), Oluoma Okaro, Peyton Grahovac
--Maverick Classic (Sep. 15-16): Griere Hughes, Oluoma Okaro
Friday's match against the reigning National Champion Cardinal is set for an 8 p.m. PT first serve, while Sunday's match against the Golden Bears will start at 11 a.m. MST. Both matches will air on the Pac-12 Network, with Kevin Barnett on each of the respective calls.
How To Follow The Action:
Stanford -- Watch | Live Stats
California -- Watch | Live Stats
Gameday Promotions:
Stanford -- We need all Sun Devil fans in the building as we take on the 2016 National Champions. Be there, be loud, and PACK THE HOUSE. Come dressed in your best Halloween costume.
California -- Join us for Daddy-Daughter Day on Sunday as we celebrate the special bond between fathers and daughters. Stick around after the match ends to get an autograph from all your favorite Sun Devils for the last time this season. 500 fans will receive the fourth and final autograph card of the limited series.
Scouting The Opposition:
No. 2 Stanford (17-2, 10-0 Pac-12)
Season Averages/Conference/National Ranking -- Hitting Percentage (.297/1/10); Kills/s (14.09/3/35); Assists/s (13.08/4/35); Digs/s (11.95/12/322); Aces/s (1.59/1/26); Blocks/s (3.03/2/7); Opponent Hitting Percentage (.173/1/51).
Categorical Leaders -- Kills/s (Kathryn Plummer, 4.58); Assists/s (Jenna Gray, 11.62); Aces/s (Jenna Gray, 0.44); Digs/s (Morgan Hentz, 3.73); Blocks/s (Tami Alade, 1.47).
California (12-9, 3-7 Pac-12)
Season Averages/Conference/National Ranking -- Hitting Percentage (.239/9/66); Kills/s (12.79/10/142); Assists/s (12.08/10/135); Digs/s (13.66/11/253); Aces/s (1.21/5/191); Blocks/s (1.70/12/262); Opponent Hitting Percentage (.225/12/259).
Categorical Leaders -- Kills/s (Antzela Dempi, 2.91); Assists/s (Mackenzie Albrecht, 5.97); Aces/s (Antzela Dempi, 0.50); Digs/s (Mima Mirkovic, 3.22); Blocks/s (Preslie Anderson, 0.76).
All-Time Series Records:
No. 2 Stanford -- Stanford leads, 5-69 (A: 1-35, H: 4-30, N: 0-4); Last Meeting: L, 0-3, Sep. 27
California -- ASU leads, 35-30 (A: 17-16, H: 17-13, N: 1-1); Last Meeting: L, 0-3, Sep. 29
Coaching Note_Sun Devil assistant coach Carlos Moreno will serve as interim head coach this upcoming weekend while Coach Sanja Tomasevic readies for the delivery of her first child.
Last Time Out_The Sun Devils visited the Pacific Northwest, dropping matches to Oregon State (3-1, Oct. 20) and Oregon (3-0, Oct. 21).
Harker Surpasses 1,800 Career Digs, @SunDevilVB Falls In Four To OSU_Senior libero Halle Harker recorded a match-best 24 digs, bringing her career total to 1,813, as the Sun Devils fell in four 29-27, 17-25, 16-25, 23-25 on Friday, Oct. 20 at Gil Coliseum. The effort made her just the third Sun Devil in program history to surpass the 1,800 mark. Offensively, senior right-side hitter Oluoma Okaro led the Sun Devils with 21 kills on the night, just short of a double-double with nine digs. Following Okaro with kills were sophomore outside hitter Ivana Jeremic with 13 kills and freshman outside hitter Griere Hughes with 11.
@SunDevilVB Falls To No. 15 Oregon In Weekend Cap_The Sun Devils fell in three sets to No. 15 Oregon (13-5, 6-4 Pac-12), 20-25, 21-25, 14-25, on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Matthew Knight Arena. Sun Devil senior Oluoma Okaro paced the Maroon and Gold with 14 kills, while Sophomore Ivana Jeremic added 11. Okaro, who also posted eight digs in the effort, has recorded double-digit kills tallies in 20 of the Sun Devils' 22 matches on the season.
New Year, Same Oly_In each of Arizona State's four tournaments during the non-conference slate Oluoma Okaro garnered all-tournament team recognition. After collecting MVP honors at the Arizona State-hosted Sun Devil Classic, Aug. 25-26, Okaro went on to net placement on the all-tournament teams of the Gonzaga Invitational (Sep. 1-2) and Lumberjack Classic (Sep. 8-9), and Maverick Classic (Sep. 15-16), respectively. Having paced the Sun Devils on the attack in 15 of the team's 20 matches on the season, Okaro boasts a kills per set average of 4.51, marking the third-best tally in the conference and the 15th-best in the country. Her points per set average of 5.19 accounts for the third-best in the league, while her nine double-doubles on the campaign sits in a tie for the fifth most in the Pac-12.
Okaro's Career Day_Oluoma Okaro was a bright spot in Arizona State's five-set, 3-2 loss to No. 7 Washington on Sep. 24, recording a career high 30 kills on .414 attacking. The senior's 30 kills tie for the most kills in a single match by a Sun Devil in the rally scoring era (since 2001) with current assistant coach Macey Gardner (9/24/14 at Arizona) and former standout Sarah Reaves (9/20/08 vs. W. Kentucky). Okaro now holds the season best mark for kills in the Pac-12 Conference, surpassing Stanford's Kathryn Plummer's 27 kills from Sept. 1.
Pac-12 Individual Match Highs | Kills
-- 30 (30- 6-58) 5s Okaro, Oluoma (Arizona State) vs Washington (Sep 24, 2017)
-- 27 (27- 5-50) 4s Plummer, Kathryn (Stanford) vs Penn State (Sep 01, 2017)
-- 26 (26- 6-57) 5s Anae, Adora (Utah) at Kentucky (Aug 25, 2017)
-- 25 (25-9-61) 5s Anae, Adora (Utah) at Washington (Oct. 6, 2017)
-- 25 (25-10-68) 5s Smith, Alexa (Colorado) vs Stanford (Sep 24, 2017)
-- 25 (25- 7-58) 5s Smith, Alexa (Colorado) at Colorado State (Sep 16, 2017)
Arizona State Individual Match Records (Rally Scoring Era) | Kills
-- Macey Gardner (9/24/14 at Arizona) 30
-- Sarah Reaves (9/20/08 vs. W. Kentucky) 30
-- Oluoma Okaro (11/24/17 vs. UW) 30
-- Macey Gardner (11/21/14 at WSU) 29
-- Macey Gardner (10/24/13 at Utah) 29
-- Macey Gardner (11/15/14 vs. Oregon) 28
-- Macey Gardner (8/31/12 at UC Irvine) 28
-- Sarah Reaves (9/27/07 vs. Oregon) 28
Hark! The Halle Digs_Sun Devil senior liber Halle Harker's career digs tally of 1,832 marks the third-best in Arizona State program history, and also constitutes the 9th most in the NCAA among active players. The Pac-12 conference's current leader in digs per set at a clip of 5.50, Harker sits 18th in the nation in that category.
ASU Career Digs Leaders
-- Sydney Donahue, 2004-07-- 2385
-- Stephanie Preach, 2010-2013—2010
-- Halle Harker, 2014-present—1832
-- Christy Nore, 1985-88 –1597
-- Jami Coughlin, 1998-2001—1528
Harker's Digs By Season
-- 2014: 521
-- 2015: 423
-- 2016: 459
-- 2017: 429 and counting...
Harker Earns Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Honors_Following a historic outing at UT Arlington's Maverick Classic (Sep. 15-16), Harker garnered Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors, as announced by the league office on Sep. 18.The recognition represents the first of Harker's career, while marking the 22nd player of the week nod in Sun Devil program history. Buoying the Sun Devil defensive effort on the weekend, Harker compiled 61 digs (6.10 dps), while adding 18 assists, to help propel the Sun Devils (10-2), to perfect, 3-0 showing at the UT Arlington-hosted Maverick Classic. Most notably her 23-dig outing in Arizona State's 3-1 victory (25-20, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19) over Houston Baptist on Sep. 16, moved her into third in Sun Devil program history in career digs.
Dishing On Peterson_Sun Devil sophomore Nicole Peterson has begun to assert herself as a force at the setter position for the Sun Devils. The Portland, Ore. native who has logged 10 starts on the season, boasts an assists per set tally of 10.76, good enough for the fourth-best mark in the conference. Her four double-doubles on the campaign account for the second-most on the team with fellow sophomore Ivana Jeremic.
Hughes & Peterson Record Career Days In Sun Devils' Four Set Loss To No. 13 Utah_Sun Devil freshman outside hitter Griere Hughes recorded a career-best/match-best 18 kills in Arizona State's four-set loss to No. 13 Utah this past Sunday. She has now recorded double-figures kills tallies in 11 of the Sun Devils' 20 outings on the season. Sophomore setter Nicole Peterson recorded a career high 53 assists and added 14 digs for her fourth career double-double and third this season.
Taking The Reins_Coach Tomasevic is one of four newcomer head coaches in the Pac-12 conference this season. Tomasevic joins Matt Ulmer (Oregon), Matt McShane (California) and Kevin Hambly (Stanford) as first-year head coaches in the conference.
Been There, Done That_Arizona State's coaching staff - Sanja Tomasevic (head coach), Carlos Moreno (assistant coach), Macey Gardner (assistant coach), Nellie Coleman (director of operations) and Kyle Breitbarth (volunteer assistant coach) - boasts an impressive, collective playing resume. Head coach Sanja Tomasevic, was a two-time All-American and the 2005 Asics and CVU.com National Player of the Year at the University of Washington, and led the Huskies to four NCAA tournament appearances, including the 2005 National Championship, and a pair of Pac-10 Conference titles. In October of 2016, Tomasevic became just the second individual volleyball player to be inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame. The former outside hitter ended her collegiate career as Washington's all-time leader in points (2,159.5), kills (1,795) and service aces (156). She is one of only five players in Huskies history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Assistant Carlos Moreno compiled a prolific playing career as a setter at Brigham University, garnering essentially every national award possible, including AVCA and MPSF Player of the year honors. A three-year starter for the Cougars, Moreno amassed 4,628 career assists, marking the second-most in program in history, while adding 78 career aces (4th-most in program history). Spearheading BYU NCAA Championship runs in 2003 and 2004, Moreno earned a plethora of Player of the Year and MVP honors while also being placed on MSPF's and AVCA's respective first-teams. A two-time All-American and the 2004 AVCA National Player of the Year, Moreno led the Cougars to two NCAA tournament appearances, including the 2004 National Championship, and a pair of MPSF Conference titles. Assistant Macey Gardner is widely considered as of the greatest to ever don the Arizona State maroon and gold, and concluded her collegiate career as Arizona State's all-time kills leader with 1,882 to her credit. Arizona State's second ever three-time All-Pac-12 honoree, she was just the 17th Sun Devil to record 1,000 career digs, and just the 10th to record 1,000 or more kills and digs in her career. Director of operations Nellie Coleman compiled a prolific four-year career at UCLA as a setter, garnering a laundry list of accolades. A three-time AVCA First Team All-American, a three-time All-Pac-10 selectee, and three-time All-Pacific Region member, Coleman concluded her career as one of the best to ever don the UCLA gold and blue. Amassing exceptional career marks in assists (6,000/2nd most in program history) and digs (1,299/3rd most in program history), Coleman, formerly known as Nellie Spicer, anchored the Bruins to four postseason appearances including a Final Four Appearance in 2006. Sun Devil volunteer assistant Kyle Breitbarth competed as a member of the University of Illinois men's club volleyball team from 2010-16. Boasting an impressice collegiate career donning the Illini blue and orange, he was a member of the 2013 NCVF University of Illinois national championship team, while helping propel the squad to a Big Ten championship and program-best 71-11 record in 2016.
Youth Movement_A trio of Sun Devil true freshman including Griere Hughes, Shelbie Dobmeier and Megan Beedie, have shined over the course of the 2017 season. Hughes, an outside hitter from Fishers, Indiana, has notched double-figure kills tallies in 12 of Arizona State's 22 outings on the season. She currently boasts a kills per set average of 2.96. Dobmeier, a setter, from Lakewood, Calif, qualified as the Pac-12 assists leader for a span of six weeks, and sits with season tally of 10.73 to her credit. Beedie, a middle blocker from Cambridge, Ontario, has made four starts while making appearances in eight matches on the season for the Sun Devils, logging 33 kills and 11 total blocks in that span.
There's No Place Like Home_Arizona State officially rang in the 2017 season playing host to the Sun Devils Classic, Aug. 25-26. The team exited the outing unscathed, garnering straight-set victories over Weber State, North Dakota State and 2016 NCAA tournament team Boise State respectively. Senior Oluoma Okaro paced Arizona State in kills in each of the team's three weekend matches to earn tournament MVP honors, while freshman setter Shelbie Dobmeier notched consecutive double-doubles to cap the tournament and earn selection to the Sun Devil Classic All-Tournament team. The Sun Devils are now 14-1 in home openers, dating back back to 2002.
Tomasevic Garners First Career Win_In her first match at the helm of the Sun Devil volleyball program, first-year head coach Sanja Tomasevic guided the Sun Devils to a 3-0 straight-set sweep of visiting Weber St on Aug. 25. The statement victory preceded two additional wins, seeing the Sun Devils exit the weekend at a perfect 3-0 season mark.
Pac-12 Slate_Arizona State will hit the road again next week as they head back to California, this time to the southern part of the state. The Sun Devils will take on USC (Friday, Nov. 3rd) and UCLA (Saturday, Nov. 4th), each for the second time on the season. During their final home stand, the Sun Devils will welcome Oregon (Thursday, Nov. 9th) and Oregon State (Saturday, Nov. 11th). Arizona State will honor the senior class during the final match on Nov. 11th against Oregon State. The Sun Devils will then hit the road to cap Pac-12 play with trips to Utah (Friday, Nov. 17th), Colorado (Saturday, Nov. 18), Washington State (Wednesday, Nov. 22) and Arizona (Saturday, Nov. 25).
Preseason Sun Devil All-Tournament Selections
--Sun Devil Classic (Aug. 25-26): Oluoma Okaro (MVP), Shelbie Dobmeier
--Gonzaga Invitational (Sep. 1-2): Oluoma Okaro
--Lumberjack Classic (Sep. 8-9): Halle Harker (MVP), Oluoma Okaro, Peyton Grahovac
--Maverick Classic (Sep. 15-16): Griere Hughes, Oluoma Okaro