ASU volleyball began the season on a high note with an 11-1 record during nonconference play. The Sun Devils' speedy play boosts their chances with the Big 12 schedule on the horizon.
ASU has carried its strong offense from last year into the new campaign with its fast-paced attack and balance on the court. The Sun Devils are currently fifth in the country in hitting percentage at .324 and 15th in kills per set with 551 total. They strung together impressive performances to earn a top 25 ranking.
Graduate libero Mary Shroll credits both graduate setter Argentina Ung and head coach JJ Van Niel as major contributors to the team's success.
"Our offense has been killer," Shroll said. "We're running the tempo extremely fast and I think Ung has done a really good job in pushing that and pushing the hitters to be on their routes. I've seen a lot of really cool plays in action. We're running a lot of different plays and I think it's cool when you have a bunch of different plays that teams have to scout you for."
The Sun Devils have worked hard to build up their offense this offseason. So far, the team has successfully adapted to high pressure when opponents have attempted to fight back.
ASU has been under pressure in 14 sets in which the Sun Devils' opponents have been within five points or less. The team hopes to continue its streak of bouncing back quickly when opponents mount a counterattack.
"We're put in situations in practice where you're not comfortable all the time and I think that everything that Van Niel does is intentional," said graduate middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede. "You always want to make practice harder than the game. We work on that during practice so when we get into the game we're not like 'They're really putting a ton of pressure on us, what do we do?'"
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Other skills the team worked on over the offseason are becoming more efficient and versatile. Graduate outside hitter Shania Cromartie said the team's balance on the court has helped players improve their hitting.
"We always talk about how you can't always go up and take the big rips and kills," Cromartie said. The team's patience in going for kills, she added, can throw off the opposing team.
The Sun Devils still have much work to do when it comes to serving the ball after tallying 98 serving errors just 12 games into the season. The errors have caused mutual frustration among the team members, who need to intimidate opposing defenses as they head into the Big 12.
“I'm most concerned about our serving,” Van Niel said. “It's the inconsistencies that have been a little bit frustrating so we have to reinvest there. We're playing two really really strong teams in the Big 12 so we open up into the fire on the road which is a good little test.”
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Serving a lot of balls into the net or directly at players isn't the ideal scenario when players aim for seams. Van Neil believes his Sun Devils must go back to the basics and freshen up before Big 12 play begins. The team can also work on blockage with only 21 solo blocks and 1.9 blocks per set so far this season.
ASU wrapped up the end of nonconference play in its first home stand by going 3-0 with three sweeps, totalling up to eighth sweeps this year. After a successful start to the season, the team will walk into the tough Big 12 schedule with heads held high.
"I think just being able to take three sweeps in a row, that's not an easy thing to do," Kjolhede said. "It's easy to let up a little bit and I think it goes to show the grit of our team and how hard we work."
Edited by Jack Barron, Sophia Braccio and Madeline Schmitke.
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