TEMPE — No. 2 seed Arizona State volleyball (26-3 overall, 17-1 Big 12) will host MEAC champions Coppin State (23-11 overall, 13-1 MEAC) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at 7 p.m. MST.
The Sun Devils, who are placed in the Kentucky quadrant of the 64-team bracket, could also host the Second Round — should they get past the Eagles — against the winner of the No. 7-seeded Tennessee and Utah State. The Second Round match is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. MST.
The winners of the Second Round will advance to Regionals the following week. The Final Four will be held in Kansas City at the T-Mobile Center on Dec. 18 and Dec. 21.
JJ Van Niel’s side is looking to reach the Regional Finals for the first time in program history. In the coach’s first season, the team progressed to the Regional Semifinals but fell short to Stanford in Northern California. ASU has never prevailed past the Sweet 16 since its first tournament appearance in 1981.
The Sun Devils hope to improve from their 2024 tournament performance. That season, the committee seeded ASU third after a 17-1 finish in conference action on its way to winning the Big 12 title. However, the team suffered an upset loss to Texas A&M in the Second Round.
Sparky secured its second straight Big 12 conference title in 2025, going 17-1 in conference play. The team picked up a signature win early in the campaign by defeating then-No. 2 Penn State in August.
The Sun Devils led the conference in team hitting percentage (0.274%), with junior opposite hitter Noemie Glover and senior outside Bailey Miller each tallying over 350 kills for the team throughout the year. Defensively, graduate middle blocker Colby Neal led the league in blocks (162).
The Maroon and Gold also went undefeated in Big 12 action at home for the second straight year under Van Niel.
It will look to ride an energized home crowd and stay unbeaten at home in the first two rounds of postseason play.
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