Jeff Metcalfe
Arizona State couldn’t have chosen a better moment to hit the big time in volleyball.
ASU is tied for the fourth best record nationally over the last three seasons as the college game is at a pinnacle in popularity as measured by attendance and TV ratings.
Hiring JJ Van Niel as coach after the 2022 season has paid off with one of the best three-year runs by a new coach in school history.
The Sun Devils are a combined 86-13 under Van Niel going into their second NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance under him on Thursday. With a win over Creighton in a regional in Lexington, Ky., they will reach the Elite Eight for the first time with the opportunity to play for a Final Four berth Saturday.
“You’re always optimistic about the coaches you hire, but there is no way in our wildest imaginations we would have expected to being here three years later talking about three straight tournament runs, back-to-back conference champions, three-time Coach of the Year,” ASU athletic director Graham Rossini said.
“He’s absolutely exceeded all expectations. We’re thrilled at the state of our program and also understand that we’re on the climb. We’re not satisfied with where we’re at. We’re encouraged with the trend line, but we believe there is more in the tank and more we can do with volleyball at ASU.”
That’s realistic with Van Niel under contract through 2029, ASU about to renovate Desert Financial Arena and fund raising/design underway for a volleyball practice facility adjacent to a football fieldhouse that will replace the Dickey Dome.
“They’ve had all this success kind of in a nomadic existence (for practices),” Rossini said. “They deserve a facility, and we want to deliver that. That further solidifies that there is a commitment to the sport at ASU.
“It’s a community asset. We want it to be a tool for our team to get better, but JJ has talked about expanding clinics and getting young girls in the Valley on campus and around our players and coaches and want to grow up to be a Sun Devil.”
Van Niel is a first-time head coach at ASU, making his success even more remarkable. He came from USC, where he was associate head coach, winning over a selection committee that initially was focused on current head coaches.
#ASU volleyball coach JJ Van Niel on Thursday NCAA Sweet 16 match vs Creighton pic.twitter.com/1eHuanch0P
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) December 9, 2025
Rossini hopes Van Niel’s hiring becomes a model for future hires.
“Early in the process, we got word of JJ,” Rossini said. “He had a done a great job seeking out the search firm that was assisting us. Him being in the Pac-12, it was easy for us to get a read on what he was like as a guy and a coach and how he’d fit within the department.
“When we started talking to him, there was a light of we need to keep digging, there’s something to this. Maybe not what we intended going into the search but it got more and more attractive. We have an idea of what we want, but we’re pliable in understanding who else is out there. JJ did a remarkable job of tying his readiness to specifically what he could accomplish at ASU.”
Van Niel started with only nine players due to transfers after the coaching change. To go 28-7 and reach the Sweet 16 in 2023 was a vital foundation for what has happened in the two ensuing seasons and beyond.
“The 2026 (recruiting) class we have coming in, we wouldn’t have had that if we had a bad first year,” Van Niel said. “The 2027 class, we probably wouldn’t have gotten if it wasn’t for the first two years. Even the kids that come in the portal, that first year was huge when you point to the (player) development,” of players such as Geli Cyr, Shannon Shields and Marta Levinska.
“That goes into recruiting. We think we can develop you and find ways to take whatever you do and put it in the best light possible.”
ASU has four incoming freshman for next season and two known commitments for 2027. Also outside hitter Maeve Schalk, with French national team experience, will play in 2026 after sitting out this season due to injury.
The wins figure to keep coming, which should keep attendance on the rise. ASU is 10th in average home attendance (3,679) this season and remains a bargain with 2026 season tickets priced at $100.
ASU coaching success over first three seasons
- Dan Devine, football, 1955-57: 27-3-1, .887 winning percentage
- JJ Van Niel, volleyball, 2023-25: 86-13, .868
- Jim Brock, baseball, 1972-74: 162-38, .840
- Clint Myers, softball, 2006-08: 173-37, .823
- Frank Kush, football, 1958-60: 24-7, .774
Note: Softball went to WCWS in Myers’ first three seasons and won a national title in 2008. Baseball was CWS runner-up in 1972 and ’73. Football went 10-0 in 1957.
