Despite never winning the Pac-12, ASU Volleyball is 14-1 in the Big 12 and has a chance to win the conference in the team's inaugural season.
Going into the 2024 season, the ASU volleyball team was predicted to finish third behind favorites Kansas and BYU. While ASU received three first-place votes, there was a sizable gap between the Sun Devils and the top. Head coach JJ Van Niel saw the Big 12's depth well before the season.
"There's a lot of talent in this conference," Van Niel said before the season. "You could go one to eight and reshuffle however you want."
Entering a new conference demanded lots of preparation for the Sun Devils who wanted to fight for every set.
"If you take it like, 'Oh, well, they're sixth in the Big 12, we really don't need to play that well,' you can't," said graduate middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede in a press conference earlier this year.
The first four conference games were against four current top-25 teams fighting for the Big 12 title and would prophesize the season.
Senior outside hitter Geli Cyr stepped up early against TCU, getting 18 kills and nine digs. The Sun Devils won in three sets as each came down to the wire.
Baylor then capitalized on its home-court advantage in a four-set win despite a double-double by Cyr with 17 kills and 12 digs. ASU worked to fight back into conference contention after the tough losses.
"We always have something to work on," said graduate setter Argentina Ung in a press conference. "It doesn't matter if we get a win or a loss, we come in to practice the next day and try to do our best."
ASU demonstrated its work ethic in its next games in a four-set win against Utah and a sweep against BYU.
READ MORE: ASU Volleyball sweeps three-game homestand
Another four-game stretch showed how much the team has improved. Winning on the road against UA is no easy feat but traveling to BYU was the Sun Devils' biggest test of the season so far.
Since the last matchup, BYU had won four of five and lost to TCU in five sets. The Cougars were looking to make a statement — and a win over the Sun Devils would be just that. Despite winning the first set, ASU fell behind two sets to one. Graduate outside hitter Shania Cromartie stepped up in the fourth set with five kills in the set to help ASU regain momentum and ultimately win the match in five sets.
Another win over Utah meant one fateful match could decide the Big 12 title. A Kansas team undefeated in conference play made the journey to Tempe on Nov. 6. ASU needed to win to take control of the Big 12.
Luckily for ASU, graduate libero Mary Shroll had 24 digs and prevented the Jayhawks from gaining momentum. Shroll, Kjolhede and graduate middle Claire Jeter worked a defensive front that gave ASU a first set win 26-24. Kansas responded with a 20-25 second set win before the Sun Devils were able to put the game away in four and gain control of the Big 12.
READ MORE: ASU Volleyball upsets No. 8 Kansas in key Big 12 battle
Now, ASU has three regular-season games left and is in the driver's seat for its first official conference championship. Previously, the Sun Devils managed to tie for second in the 1993 season and finished third twice, in both ASU's first season in the Pac-12 in 1986 and its last in 2023.
During the team's time in the Pac-12, it faced the constant challenge of national championship contenders. UCLA dominated the conference's early days and won six of the first eight titles. Stanford eventually took control and won 21 titles, three times more than any other program.
The story is nearly identical in the Big 12. Current Big Ten team Nebraska dominated the conference early on. When Nebraska left, Texas took its role as the Big 12's top dog but the Longhorns are now in the SEC.
A power vacuum formed in Big 12 volleyball. No current team has more than a single conference title. A conference with five national titles needed a new powerhouse.
Kansas, preseason favorites and 2023 conference runner-up, seemed the likely choice for the conference crown. The Jayhawks had three players on the Big 12 preseason team including unanimous selection Camryn Turner, a senior setter and a part of the 2023 Midwest All-Region First Team.
The Sun Devils stood in the Jayhawks' way. ASU was coming off its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2015 under newly appointed head coach Van Niel and was looking for more.
A key part of doing that was recruiting Ung. The former Washington State setter is one of six graduate students on the roster. She has played an insurmountable offensive role and provided nearly 1,000 assists, 26 aces and 55 total blocks this season.
Van Niel has also given Ung a chance to show off her offensive skills. During certain rotations where Ung is in the front row, Van Niel has redshirt freshman Brynn Covell take some setting opportunities. This allows ASU to have three hitters in the front row, with many of Ung's 107 kills coming during this rotation.
READ MORE: ASU Volleyball's Brynn Covell sees growth with more playing time
Jeter is another key player in Van Niel's equation. The graduate middle blocker has been a key player since arriving from Texas A&M in 2021. She has led the team in hitting percentage for three consecutive years and is on track to make it four. Her hitting percentage is 0.425, ranking ninth in the country, and on track to break the ASU program record.
Ung and Jeter are cogs in a Sun Devil machine which has fought for every point diving, chasing and reaching for every ball they can. Grit and determination from every player are what bring ASU Volleyball to the top.
Edited by Jack Barron, Abigail Beck and Madeline Schmitke.
Reach the reporter at aldeutsc@asu.edu and follow @AlanDeutschend3 on X.
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Alan is a sophomore studying sports journalism. This is his second semester  with The State Press. He has also worked at Blaze Radio.
