TEMPE, Ariz.--The Arizona State volleyball team (8-14, 1-9 Pac-12) starts the second half of the Pac-12 Conference slate this week, traveling to the Oregon schools on Friday and Sunday.
ASU will first take on the Beavers (8-13, 1-9 Pac-12) on Friday at 7 p.m. PT at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, live streamed via OSUBeavers.com. On Sunday ASU will take on the No. 20 Ducks (14-5, 7-3 Pac-12) in Eugene at Matt Knight Arena at 11 a.m. PT. That match will air on the Pac-12 Network (Arizona & Oregon) with Rich Burk and Nicole Branagh on the call.
Making The Road Their Home
The Sun Devil volleyball team opened the 2016 season with 14 matches outside the friendly confines of Wells Fargo Arena, traveling a total of 9,454 miles. Including the matches in Los Angeles at USC and UCLA and in the Bay Area at Cal and Stanford, the #RoadWarriors have traveled 11,982 miles.
All told, 18 of the first 20 matches this season were contested on the road, and the Sun Devils will not play at home on back-to-back weekends until the final two weeks of the regular season.
Including the final three matches of the 2015 season, the Sun Devils had not played a match at home since Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015. This marks a stretch of 17 matches outside of Wells Fargo Arena, and 17,353 miles traveled.
By The Numbers - Miles Traveled In 2016
WK 1: Tempe to Albuquerque - 822 round trip miles (822 total miles)
WK 2: Tempe to Iowa City - 3,850 round trip miles (4,672 total miles)
WK 3: Tempe to Long Beach - 764 round trip miles (5,436 total miles)
WK 4: Tempe to Boise - 2,407 round trip miles (7,843 total miles)
WK 5.1: Tempe to Tucson - 220 round trip miles (8,063 miles)
WK 5.2: Tempe to Salt Lake City - 1,391 round trip miles (9,454 miles)
WK 7: Tempe to Los Angeles - 900 round trip miles (10,354 miles)
WK 8: Tempe to Bay Area - 1,628 round trip miles (11,982 miles)
By The Numbers - Miles Traveled To Final 3 Matches Of 2015
ASU at Oregon & Arizona: 2,960 round-trip miles
ASU at the NCAA Tournament: 4,939 round-trip miles
Total Distance: 7,899 miles
Harker Moves Into ASU Digs Top-10
On Oct. 15, Halle Harker moved into the top-10 all-time at ASU in career digs with 1,223. During the match at Stanford, she moved past Margie Giordano (2005-08; 1,218 digs) and the former No. 10 mark at ASU, Nancy Christian (1990-93; 1,221 digs).
She currently has 1,243 digs, 10 away from the No. 9 mark, 1,253, set by Christine Garner (1992-95)
In ASU's five-set win over Butler at the Hawkeye Classic on Sept. 2, libero Halle Harker became the 19th Sun Devil to surpass 1,000 career digs.
In 2014, Harker recorded a freshman-record 521 digs, which rounds out ASU's single-season top-10. That number includes the 33 digs against Oregon State on Nov. 13 and the 34 that followed two days later against Oregon, which still stands as the best mark by a freshman at ASU.
Harker's Digs By Season
2014: 521
2015: 423
2016: 299 and counting
Top-10 Career Digs At ASU
1. Sydney Donahue, 2004-07—2385**
2. Stephanie Preach, 2010-13—2010
3. Christy Nore, 1985-88—1597
4. Jami Coughlin, 1998-01—1528
5. Sarah Johnson, 2007-10—1439
6. Terri Cox, 1994-97—1382
7. Mindy Gowell, 1987-91—1365
8. Leanne Schuster, 1991-94—1284
9. Christine Garner, 1992-95—1253
10. Halle Harker, 2014-present—1243
** Pac-12 Record
Massive Crowd At #RoadWarriors' Home Opener
The Sun Devils finally opened the home slate on Sept. 30, hosting then-No. 21 Oregon and Oregon State at Wells Fargo Arena. In the match against the Ducks, the Sun Devils hosted the second-largest crowd since 1996 with 4,901 fans. At that match were 2,187 students, a new record.
The highest attended match in recent years was last season with 5,152 fans in 2015. That match sent the previous student-section record with 2,011 fans.
Sun Devils Knock Off Undefeated Santa Clara For Program's 700th Win
The Sun Devils earned its first win over a ranked opponent in 2016 on Friday, knocking off previously undefeated No. 17 Santa Clara in five sets (20-25, 13-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-8) to open the Boise Classic on Friday, Sept. 16.
The win marks both Coach Mussie's first over an opponent in the Top-25, and is also the 700th in the history of the Sun Devil volleyball program. Additionally, the win marks ASU's first Top-25 victory since Oct. 2, 2015, when the Sun Devils took the 3-1 win over then-No. 8 Stanford, snapping a 15-year losing skid to the Cardinal.
This is also the first time ASU came back from a two-set deficit to win in five. Cassidy Pickrell and Oluoma Okaro led the way with 15 kills while Lexi MacLean added 12, including the set winner in the fourth and match winner in the deciding set.
2016 marks the 43rd season of Sun Devil Volleyball. ASU's first-ever victory is believed to have been on Sept. 24, 1973, in a 3-0 sweep of in-state foe Northern Arizona.
ASU's Milestone Wins:
1-ASU 3, NAU 0 (15-6, 15-1, 15-2) (Sept. 24, 1973)
100-ASU 3, Mesa CC 0 (16-14, 15-9, 15-7) (Sept. 19, 1979)
200-ASU 3, California 1 (14-16, 21-19, 15-5, 15-10 (Oct. 5, 1984)
300-ASU 3, Oregon State 0 (15-12, 15-7, 15-6) (Sept. 15, 1989)
400-ASU 3, San Diego State 2 (15-13, 6-15, 9-15, 15-6, 15-12 (Dec. 3, 1994)
500-ASU 3, Arizona 0 (33-31, 30-26, 42-40) (Sept. 27, 2002)
600-ASU 3, USC 1 (29-27, 25-23, 14-25, 25-23) (Oct. 15, 2010)
700-ASU 3, Santa Clara 2 (20-25, 13-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-8) (Sept. 16, 2016)
Jeremic, Nwoke, Okaro Have Career Day In LBSU Win
The Sun Devils outlasted Long Beach State to cap the LBSU Baden Invitational, holding off the 49ers in five sets. The win was ASU's third five-set win of the season.
Freshman Mmachi Nwoke set a career high with nine kills and led the team with a .750 attack percentage. Junior Oluoma Okaro and freshman Ivana Jeremic finished the day with new career highs in kills with 19 and 18, respectively. Sophomore Jasmine Koonts was also error free with nine kills on 16 swings.
The Sun Devils took the first two sets from LBSU, 30-28 and 25-20, before the 49ers took the third and fourth sets. In the deciding set, ASU hit .379 as a team with 16 kills, and held off Long Beach State's match point at 14-13 to ultimately take the set, 19-17.
Sun Devils Put Up 12 Aces In Harvard Sweep
In the 3-0 win over Harvard, the Sun Devils tallied 12 service aces, the most since ASU recorded that same number against Washington State on Oct. 1, 2005.
Oluoma Okaro, Cassidy Pickrell, and Caroline Pearson each finished the match with three aces toward the team total.
Additionally, Okaro and Pickrell combined for 22 of ASU's 43 kills.
MacLean Has Career Day As Sun Devils
Outlast Oakland
In ASU's second five-set victory of the Hawkeye Classic, sophomore Lexi MacLean put up 10 kills on her previous career best, finishing the day with 23 on .375 attacking, which was also a career high.
MacLean's previous career high in kills was 13 on Nov. 8, 2015 against Washington State.
C. Pickrell Reaches 1,000 Career Kills
Senior outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell recorded the 1,000th kill of her career in ASU's match at Iowa on Sept. 2. She came to ASU with 652 kills under her belt, and currently has 1,177.
Mussie Earns First Head Coaching Victory
Head coach Stevie Mussie earned her first victory as a head coach on Friday, Aug. 26, as the Sun Devils opened the season with a 3-0 win over Fairfield at the UNM Tournament in Albuquerque.
Junior Oluoma Okaro led the way with a then-career high 16 kills on .682 attacking, while she, senior Maya McClendon (15 kills), and freshman Ivana Jeremic (10 kills) combined for 41 of ASU's 52 kills.
McClendon Nearing Career Kill Milestone
Maya McClendon is on the verge of recording the 1000th kill of her career.
She joined the Sun Devils prior to this season with 874 kills. Coming into this weekend she is 10 kills from 1,000, with 990.
2016 All-Tournament Team Selections
Aug. 26-27 UNM Tournament
Oluoma Okaro (MVP)
Kylie Pickrell (All-Tournament Team)
Sept. 2-3 Hawkeye Classic
Caroline Pearson (All-Tournament Team)
Lexi MacLean (All-Tournament Team)
Sept. 16-17 Boise State Classic
Oluoma Okaro (All-Tournament Team)
Meet The Team
The Seniors
Outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell and libero Mia Mazon are back for their senior seasons, along with the new addition of Maya McClendon, an outside hitter from Louisville, who made the move to Tempe for her final season.
Pickrell led the Sun Devils with 304 kills last season, while Mazon made appearances throughout the year as a defensive specalist. In 2015 in Louisville, McClendon played in 28 matches, and posted a season high 17 kills on .317 attacking in the NCAA Tournament Second-Round matchup with Illinois.
The Juniors
Libero Halle Harker is back for her third season with the Sun Devils, joined by fellow defensive specalist Blair Robalin and University of San Francisco transfer Oluoma Okaro, a middle blocker.
Harker posted 423 digs last season, bringing her career total to 944. Harker looks to surpass the 1,000-dig threshold this season, making her the 19th Sun Devil all time to do so.
Last season at San Francisco, Okaro posted 96 total blocks, the second-most on the team, and also recorded 260 kills on .313 attacking.
The Sophomores
Setter Kylie Pickrell, middle blocker Jasmine Koonts, and outside hitter Lexi MacLean are back for their sophomore seasons, joined by Denver transfer Caroline Pearson, a setter, and American University transfer Carmen Unzue, a middle blocker.
Last season, Pickrell recorded 469 assists and 156 digs, while Koonts was fourth on the team in blocks with 52. MacLean, who made her Sun Devil debut midway through the 2015 season, finished the year with 80 kills.
At Denver, Pearson played in seven matches, and recorded a career high 17 assists against North Dakota State on Oct. 18. The 2015 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Unzue recorded 142 kills on .332 attacking, an added 77 blocks to her freshman season.
The Freshmen
The Sun Devils have six freshman on the 2016 roster: libero Courtney Leffel (Flagstaff, Ariz./Flagstaff HS), setter Nicole Peterson (Portland, Ore./Jesuit), middle blocker Mmachi Nwoke (Grand Prairie, Texas/South Grand Prairie HS), libero Halle Johnson (Tempe, Ariz./Seton Catholic Prep), outside hitter Olivia Whittingham (Lemont, Ill./Lemont Township HS), and Ivana Jeremic (Gornji Milanovic, Serbia/Gimnazija 'Takovski Ustanak').
Meet The Coaches
Stevie Mussie Named Arizona State's Volleyball Coach
Arizona State University and Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director Ray Anderson announced the hiring of Stevie Mussie as Director of Volleyball on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Prior to her move to Tempe, Mussie was an assistant at Penn State for two seasons. She helped the Nittany Lions to the 2014 NCAA Championships, the seventh in program history, and served as a mentor to six AVCA All-Americans, including 2014 National Freshman Of The Year, outside hitter Ali Frantti.
As an athlete for the University of Washington, Mussie was on the 2005 NCAA Championship team, and was the 2006 Seattle Regional Most Outstanding Player.
Mussie Adds Chris Rose To Staff
On Tuesday, March 1, Stevie Mussie announced the addition of Chris Rose to the Sun Devil Volleyball coaching staff as an assistant.
Rose comes to ASU after spending this past season an assistant at East Carolina University, and prior to that he served as a volunteer assistant at the University of Buffalo.
Rose was in college at Penn State, serving as the head student manager for the volleyball program, while Mussie served as an assistant coach under Nittany Lion head coach Russ Rose.
Mussie Adds Former Teammate Sanja Tomasevic To Staff
On Monday, March 14, Stevie Mussie announced that Sanja Tomasevic joined the Sun Devil Volleyball program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Prior to making the move to Tempe, Tomasevic spent two years at the University of Miami, helping the Hurricanes to their seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. She also coached at UTSA, and played eight years of professional volleyball, and was a member of the Serbian National Team.
A two-time All-American and the 2005 Asics and CVU.com National Player of the Year, Tomasevic helped lead the University of Washington to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2005 NCAA Championship and a pair of Pac-10 Conference titles.
Mussie Adds 2012 Olympic Silver Medalist Tamari Miyashrio As Volunteer Assistant
On Wednesday, Aug. 17, Stevie Mussie announced that former United State's Women's National Team libero Tamari Miyashiro will serve as a volunteer assistant coach for Sun Devil Volleyball.
Miyashiro joined the U.S. Women's National Team in 2010 and helped the squad to a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games. In 2011, Miyashiro and Team USA won gold at the FIVB World Grand Prix in Macau and silver at the 2011 World Cup in Japan. In her debut with the national team, she helped the national team to a third-place finish at the 2010 Pan American games.
In college at the University of Washington, Miyashiro was the 2007 and 2008 National Defensive Player of the Year while she served as the libero. She was a three-time AVCA All-American and earned a degree in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts in 2009. She finished her Husky career with records for digs (2,382) and digs per set (5.36).
Sun Devil Volleyball Earns AVCA Academic Award
The Arizona State volleyball team earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2015-16 season, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced on Monday, July 25.
The award originated with the 1992-93 academic year, honoring teams that maintained at least a 3.30 team GPA. This marks the sixth consecutive year that the Sun Devils have been recognized by the AVCA, this year totaling a team GPA of 3.36.
Following the 2015 season, the Pac-12 Conference recognized seven Sun Devil student-athletes for their academic accomplishments: Kizzy Ricedorff (First Team), Bianca Arellano (Second Team), Bree Bailey (Honorable Mention), Mercedes Binns (Honorable Mention), Whitney Follette (Honorable Mention), Macey Gardner (Honorable Mention), and Halle Harker (Honorable Mention).
ASU will first take on the Beavers (8-13, 1-9 Pac-12) on Friday at 7 p.m. PT at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, live streamed via OSUBeavers.com. On Sunday ASU will take on the No. 20 Ducks (14-5, 7-3 Pac-12) in Eugene at Matt Knight Arena at 11 a.m. PT. That match will air on the Pac-12 Network (Arizona & Oregon) with Rich Burk and Nicole Branagh on the call.
Making The Road Their Home
The Sun Devil volleyball team opened the 2016 season with 14 matches outside the friendly confines of Wells Fargo Arena, traveling a total of 9,454 miles. Including the matches in Los Angeles at USC and UCLA and in the Bay Area at Cal and Stanford, the #RoadWarriors have traveled 11,982 miles.
All told, 18 of the first 20 matches this season were contested on the road, and the Sun Devils will not play at home on back-to-back weekends until the final two weeks of the regular season.
Including the final three matches of the 2015 season, the Sun Devils had not played a match at home since Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015. This marks a stretch of 17 matches outside of Wells Fargo Arena, and 17,353 miles traveled.
By The Numbers - Miles Traveled In 2016
WK 1: Tempe to Albuquerque - 822 round trip miles (822 total miles)
WK 2: Tempe to Iowa City - 3,850 round trip miles (4,672 total miles)
WK 3: Tempe to Long Beach - 764 round trip miles (5,436 total miles)
WK 4: Tempe to Boise - 2,407 round trip miles (7,843 total miles)
WK 5.1: Tempe to Tucson - 220 round trip miles (8,063 miles)
WK 5.2: Tempe to Salt Lake City - 1,391 round trip miles (9,454 miles)
WK 7: Tempe to Los Angeles - 900 round trip miles (10,354 miles)
WK 8: Tempe to Bay Area - 1,628 round trip miles (11,982 miles)
By The Numbers - Miles Traveled To Final 3 Matches Of 2015
ASU at Oregon & Arizona: 2,960 round-trip miles
ASU at the NCAA Tournament: 4,939 round-trip miles
Total Distance: 7,899 miles
Harker Moves Into ASU Digs Top-10
On Oct. 15, Halle Harker moved into the top-10 all-time at ASU in career digs with 1,223. During the match at Stanford, she moved past Margie Giordano (2005-08; 1,218 digs) and the former No. 10 mark at ASU, Nancy Christian (1990-93; 1,221 digs).
She currently has 1,243 digs, 10 away from the No. 9 mark, 1,253, set by Christine Garner (1992-95)
In ASU's five-set win over Butler at the Hawkeye Classic on Sept. 2, libero Halle Harker became the 19th Sun Devil to surpass 1,000 career digs.
In 2014, Harker recorded a freshman-record 521 digs, which rounds out ASU's single-season top-10. That number includes the 33 digs against Oregon State on Nov. 13 and the 34 that followed two days later against Oregon, which still stands as the best mark by a freshman at ASU.
Harker's Digs By Season
2014: 521
2015: 423
2016: 299 and counting
Top-10 Career Digs At ASU
1. Sydney Donahue, 2004-07—2385**
2. Stephanie Preach, 2010-13—2010
3. Christy Nore, 1985-88—1597
4. Jami Coughlin, 1998-01—1528
5. Sarah Johnson, 2007-10—1439
6. Terri Cox, 1994-97—1382
7. Mindy Gowell, 1987-91—1365
8. Leanne Schuster, 1991-94—1284
9. Christine Garner, 1992-95—1253
10. Halle Harker, 2014-present—1243
** Pac-12 Record
Massive Crowd At #RoadWarriors' Home Opener
The Sun Devils finally opened the home slate on Sept. 30, hosting then-No. 21 Oregon and Oregon State at Wells Fargo Arena. In the match against the Ducks, the Sun Devils hosted the second-largest crowd since 1996 with 4,901 fans. At that match were 2,187 students, a new record.
The highest attended match in recent years was last season with 5,152 fans in 2015. That match sent the previous student-section record with 2,011 fans.
Sun Devils Knock Off Undefeated Santa Clara For Program's 700th Win
The Sun Devils earned its first win over a ranked opponent in 2016 on Friday, knocking off previously undefeated No. 17 Santa Clara in five sets (20-25, 13-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-8) to open the Boise Classic on Friday, Sept. 16.
The win marks both Coach Mussie's first over an opponent in the Top-25, and is also the 700th in the history of the Sun Devil volleyball program. Additionally, the win marks ASU's first Top-25 victory since Oct. 2, 2015, when the Sun Devils took the 3-1 win over then-No. 8 Stanford, snapping a 15-year losing skid to the Cardinal.
This is also the first time ASU came back from a two-set deficit to win in five. Cassidy Pickrell and Oluoma Okaro led the way with 15 kills while Lexi MacLean added 12, including the set winner in the fourth and match winner in the deciding set.
2016 marks the 43rd season of Sun Devil Volleyball. ASU's first-ever victory is believed to have been on Sept. 24, 1973, in a 3-0 sweep of in-state foe Northern Arizona.
ASU's Milestone Wins:
1-ASU 3, NAU 0 (15-6, 15-1, 15-2) (Sept. 24, 1973)
100-ASU 3, Mesa CC 0 (16-14, 15-9, 15-7) (Sept. 19, 1979)
200-ASU 3, California 1 (14-16, 21-19, 15-5, 15-10 (Oct. 5, 1984)
300-ASU 3, Oregon State 0 (15-12, 15-7, 15-6) (Sept. 15, 1989)
400-ASU 3, San Diego State 2 (15-13, 6-15, 9-15, 15-6, 15-12 (Dec. 3, 1994)
500-ASU 3, Arizona 0 (33-31, 30-26, 42-40) (Sept. 27, 2002)
600-ASU 3, USC 1 (29-27, 25-23, 14-25, 25-23) (Oct. 15, 2010)
700-ASU 3, Santa Clara 2 (20-25, 13-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-8) (Sept. 16, 2016)
Jeremic, Nwoke, Okaro Have Career Day In LBSU Win
The Sun Devils outlasted Long Beach State to cap the LBSU Baden Invitational, holding off the 49ers in five sets. The win was ASU's third five-set win of the season.
Freshman Mmachi Nwoke set a career high with nine kills and led the team with a .750 attack percentage. Junior Oluoma Okaro and freshman Ivana Jeremic finished the day with new career highs in kills with 19 and 18, respectively. Sophomore Jasmine Koonts was also error free with nine kills on 16 swings.
The Sun Devils took the first two sets from LBSU, 30-28 and 25-20, before the 49ers took the third and fourth sets. In the deciding set, ASU hit .379 as a team with 16 kills, and held off Long Beach State's match point at 14-13 to ultimately take the set, 19-17.
Sun Devils Put Up 12 Aces In Harvard Sweep
In the 3-0 win over Harvard, the Sun Devils tallied 12 service aces, the most since ASU recorded that same number against Washington State on Oct. 1, 2005.
Oluoma Okaro, Cassidy Pickrell, and Caroline Pearson each finished the match with three aces toward the team total.
Additionally, Okaro and Pickrell combined for 22 of ASU's 43 kills.
MacLean Has Career Day As Sun Devils
Outlast Oakland
In ASU's second five-set victory of the Hawkeye Classic, sophomore Lexi MacLean put up 10 kills on her previous career best, finishing the day with 23 on .375 attacking, which was also a career high.
MacLean's previous career high in kills was 13 on Nov. 8, 2015 against Washington State.
C. Pickrell Reaches 1,000 Career Kills
Senior outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell recorded the 1,000th kill of her career in ASU's match at Iowa on Sept. 2. She came to ASU with 652 kills under her belt, and currently has 1,177.
Mussie Earns First Head Coaching Victory
Head coach Stevie Mussie earned her first victory as a head coach on Friday, Aug. 26, as the Sun Devils opened the season with a 3-0 win over Fairfield at the UNM Tournament in Albuquerque.
Junior Oluoma Okaro led the way with a then-career high 16 kills on .682 attacking, while she, senior Maya McClendon (15 kills), and freshman Ivana Jeremic (10 kills) combined for 41 of ASU's 52 kills.
McClendon Nearing Career Kill Milestone
Maya McClendon is on the verge of recording the 1000th kill of her career.
She joined the Sun Devils prior to this season with 874 kills. Coming into this weekend she is 10 kills from 1,000, with 990.
2016 All-Tournament Team Selections
Aug. 26-27 UNM Tournament
Oluoma Okaro (MVP)
Kylie Pickrell (All-Tournament Team)
Sept. 2-3 Hawkeye Classic
Caroline Pearson (All-Tournament Team)
Lexi MacLean (All-Tournament Team)
Sept. 16-17 Boise State Classic
Oluoma Okaro (All-Tournament Team)
Meet The Team
The Seniors
Outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell and libero Mia Mazon are back for their senior seasons, along with the new addition of Maya McClendon, an outside hitter from Louisville, who made the move to Tempe for her final season.
Pickrell led the Sun Devils with 304 kills last season, while Mazon made appearances throughout the year as a defensive specalist. In 2015 in Louisville, McClendon played in 28 matches, and posted a season high 17 kills on .317 attacking in the NCAA Tournament Second-Round matchup with Illinois.
The Juniors
Libero Halle Harker is back for her third season with the Sun Devils, joined by fellow defensive specalist Blair Robalin and University of San Francisco transfer Oluoma Okaro, a middle blocker.
Harker posted 423 digs last season, bringing her career total to 944. Harker looks to surpass the 1,000-dig threshold this season, making her the 19th Sun Devil all time to do so.
Last season at San Francisco, Okaro posted 96 total blocks, the second-most on the team, and also recorded 260 kills on .313 attacking.
The Sophomores
Setter Kylie Pickrell, middle blocker Jasmine Koonts, and outside hitter Lexi MacLean are back for their sophomore seasons, joined by Denver transfer Caroline Pearson, a setter, and American University transfer Carmen Unzue, a middle blocker.
Last season, Pickrell recorded 469 assists and 156 digs, while Koonts was fourth on the team in blocks with 52. MacLean, who made her Sun Devil debut midway through the 2015 season, finished the year with 80 kills.
At Denver, Pearson played in seven matches, and recorded a career high 17 assists against North Dakota State on Oct. 18. The 2015 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Unzue recorded 142 kills on .332 attacking, an added 77 blocks to her freshman season.
The Freshmen
The Sun Devils have six freshman on the 2016 roster: libero Courtney Leffel (Flagstaff, Ariz./Flagstaff HS), setter Nicole Peterson (Portland, Ore./Jesuit), middle blocker Mmachi Nwoke (Grand Prairie, Texas/South Grand Prairie HS), libero Halle Johnson (Tempe, Ariz./Seton Catholic Prep), outside hitter Olivia Whittingham (Lemont, Ill./Lemont Township HS), and Ivana Jeremic (Gornji Milanovic, Serbia/Gimnazija 'Takovski Ustanak').
Meet The Coaches
Stevie Mussie Named Arizona State's Volleyball Coach
Arizona State University and Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director Ray Anderson announced the hiring of Stevie Mussie as Director of Volleyball on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Prior to her move to Tempe, Mussie was an assistant at Penn State for two seasons. She helped the Nittany Lions to the 2014 NCAA Championships, the seventh in program history, and served as a mentor to six AVCA All-Americans, including 2014 National Freshman Of The Year, outside hitter Ali Frantti.
As an athlete for the University of Washington, Mussie was on the 2005 NCAA Championship team, and was the 2006 Seattle Regional Most Outstanding Player.
Mussie Adds Chris Rose To Staff
On Tuesday, March 1, Stevie Mussie announced the addition of Chris Rose to the Sun Devil Volleyball coaching staff as an assistant.
Rose comes to ASU after spending this past season an assistant at East Carolina University, and prior to that he served as a volunteer assistant at the University of Buffalo.
Rose was in college at Penn State, serving as the head student manager for the volleyball program, while Mussie served as an assistant coach under Nittany Lion head coach Russ Rose.
Mussie Adds Former Teammate Sanja Tomasevic To Staff
On Monday, March 14, Stevie Mussie announced that Sanja Tomasevic joined the Sun Devil Volleyball program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Prior to making the move to Tempe, Tomasevic spent two years at the University of Miami, helping the Hurricanes to their seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. She also coached at UTSA, and played eight years of professional volleyball, and was a member of the Serbian National Team.
A two-time All-American and the 2005 Asics and CVU.com National Player of the Year, Tomasevic helped lead the University of Washington to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2005 NCAA Championship and a pair of Pac-10 Conference titles.
Mussie Adds 2012 Olympic Silver Medalist Tamari Miyashrio As Volunteer Assistant
On Wednesday, Aug. 17, Stevie Mussie announced that former United State's Women's National Team libero Tamari Miyashiro will serve as a volunteer assistant coach for Sun Devil Volleyball.
Miyashiro joined the U.S. Women's National Team in 2010 and helped the squad to a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games. In 2011, Miyashiro and Team USA won gold at the FIVB World Grand Prix in Macau and silver at the 2011 World Cup in Japan. In her debut with the national team, she helped the national team to a third-place finish at the 2010 Pan American games.
In college at the University of Washington, Miyashiro was the 2007 and 2008 National Defensive Player of the Year while she served as the libero. She was a three-time AVCA All-American and earned a degree in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts in 2009. She finished her Husky career with records for digs (2,382) and digs per set (5.36).
Sun Devil Volleyball Earns AVCA Academic Award
The Arizona State volleyball team earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2015-16 season, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced on Monday, July 25.
The award originated with the 1992-93 academic year, honoring teams that maintained at least a 3.30 team GPA. This marks the sixth consecutive year that the Sun Devils have been recognized by the AVCA, this year totaling a team GPA of 3.36.
Following the 2015 season, the Pac-12 Conference recognized seven Sun Devil student-athletes for their academic accomplishments: Kizzy Ricedorff (First Team), Bianca Arellano (Second Team), Bree Bailey (Honorable Mention), Mercedes Binns (Honorable Mention), Whitney Follette (Honorable Mention), Macey Gardner (Honorable Mention), and Halle Harker (Honorable Mention).