The Arizona State Sun Devils head into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015, recapping a remarkable season filled with success.
Arizona State ended the regular season ranked No. 18 with a record of 26-6, 14-6 in Pac-12.
The Sun Devils started the season with a bang, going on a 14-game win streak.
ASU especially used home court to its advantage, as they only recorded one loss at home against No. 6 Oregon the entire season.
The turnaround for the Sun Devils was led by first-year head coach JJ Van Neil, who won the Pac-12 Coach of the Year. This was the fourth time in program history that an ASU Volleyball coach received this award.
Neil had the girls playing hard all season and there was a certain level of trust that grew as the season progressed.
Leadership was a big part of how the Sun Devils were able to find so much success. Having half the team made up of graduate students and seniors provides ASU with the much-needed experience to win tight games.
Arizona State plays a very physical style of volleyball relying on great team defense to allow its offense to open up and be able to strike anywhere on the court.
There looked to be a noticeable shift in the intensity this year with a new coach at the helm. ASU was not only winning but dismantling teams, recording 17 shutout wins.
ASU will look to get its first win of the tournament against Georgia on Friday, December 1st, with game time set for 4:30 p.m. in Provo, Utah.
Arizona State should be favored in this matchup as Georgia is coming in unranked with a record of 17-12, 10-8 in the SEC.
A troubling thing for ASU is they are 9-5 on the road this season. However, in three of those five losses, they were shut out.
The Sun Devils have done a great job all season of getting ahead early and not letting their foot off the gas, so starting fast will definitely be something to watch for Arizona State in this matchup.
Going into this season, there were certainly some questions as to the direction of the team and if ASU would have a few more rebuilding years or if there was something special formulating with this group.
The hard work of the players and coaches quickly answered these questions, and it was no mistake that the Sun Devils started 14-0 and didn’t drop a set until their fourth game.
There is undeniable excitement from everyone as ASU looks to continue this historic season with a win against Georgia looking to move on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
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