Claudia Collins
Story by Jeff Metcalfe
With a victory over No. 8-ranked Kansas on Wednesday night, No. 11 Arizona State volleyball is in position to win the school’s first Big 12 championship in any sport.
ASU (23-2/11-1 Big 12) still must navigate six more regular-season matches, but none of those are against ranked opponents. The Sun Devils are tied for first with Kansas (20-2/11-1) after ending the Jayhawks’ 11-game win streak while extending their own to 11.
“We wanted to come into the Big 12 and make a name for ourselves, and I think we did that,” ASU middle blocker Claire Jeter said. “They’re a great team. It was a really fun game. We played really, really well.”
While only hitting .166 (lower than Kansas’ .185), the Sun Devils had 14 blocks plus a 6-1 in aces and only one return error. That added up to a 3-1 win before 4,179 at Mullett Arena, an enthusiastic crowd that included ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham seeing his first volleyball match in person.
#ASU volleyball Argentina Ung and Claire Jeter on beating No. 8 Kansas in spite of low hitting percentage pic.twitter.com/yOXY6i1XEO
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) November 7, 2024
“We love playing in front of our fans, I cannot stress that enough,” ASU coach JJ Van Niel said. “The energy in here is just unbelievable. It’s like having a sixth man in basketball.”
The Sun Devils are aspiring to host in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995. That requires being among the top 16 seeds when the 64-team field is announced Dec. 1.
Beating Kansas was a significant step toward hosting since ASU already was No. 9 in the national RPI going into the match (KU at No. 10 RPI).
ASU lost 3-0 at now No. 2-ranked Nebraska on Sept. 13. “I do believe we’re playing better volleyball and defending a lot better than we were back then for sure,” Van Niel said.
Mary Shroll, among the best liberos in the nation, had her seventh 20-plus-dig match (24). She is a three-time Big 12 defensive Player of the Week, an award she could win virtually every week.
ASU needed five match points to put away Kansas, 26-24, 20-25, 25-20, 27-25. The Sun Devils still have played just one five-set match, winning it last week at No. 21 BYU. They are on a three-match win streak against ranked teams and 5-2 overall in such matches.
#ASU volleyball match win in win over Kansas pic.twitter.com/Ha73iIGqWg
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) November 7, 2024
Five players scored double-digit points against Kansas including Shania Cromartie and Geli Cyr with 15 kills each. Jeter had 10 kills (hitting .364) and four blocks, more than making up for spilling water on the court to force a delay.
“People like to say we’re a smaller team so we want to make sure we’re a big presence at the net,” Jeter said. “Jillian Neal is someone that puts up a big ball in practices that really messes with our block. Getting to practice against someone that good helps us stay disciplined at the net.”
Claire Jeter on No. 11 #ASU volleyball blocking in win over No. 8 Kansas pic.twitter.com/gWC5WLjlK5
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) November 7, 2024
ASU is home against Kansas State on Friday at Desert Financial Arena then closes out its regular-season home schedule against Iowa State on Nov. 21 (Mullett) and UCF on Nov. 29 (DFA).
