Wednesday's match with the reigning NCAA National Champion Cardinal, is slated for a 7 p.m. PT start at Maples Pavilion and will air on the Pac-12 Network with Holly McPeak and Krista Blunk on the call. Arizona State's Wednesday tilt with host California is scheduled for a 7 p.m. PT start at Haas Pavilion, and will be streamed via CalBears.com.
How To Follow The Action:
Stanford: Watch | Live Stats
California: Watch | Live Stats
Okaro's Career Day_Oluoma Okaro was a bright spot in Arizona State's five-set, 3-2 loss to No. 7 Washington, recording a career high 30 kills on .414 attacking. The senior's 30 kills tie for the most kills in a single match by a Sun Devil in the rally scoring era (since 2001) with current assistant coach Macey Gardner (9/24/14 at Arizona) and former standout Sarah Reaves (9/20/08 vs. W. Kentucky). Okaro now holds the season best mark for kills in the Pac-12 Conference, surpassing Stanford's Kathryn Plummer's 27 kills from Sept. 1.
Pac-12 Individual Match Highs | Kills
--30 (30- 6-58) 5s Okaro, Oluoma (Arizona State) vs Washington (Sep 24, 2017)
--27 (27- 5-50) 4s Plummer, Kathryn (Stanford) vs Penn State (Sep 01, 2017)
--26 (26- 6-57) 5s Anae, Adora (Utah) at Kentucky (Aug 25, 2017)
--25 (25-10-68) 5s Smith, Alexa (Colorado) vs Stanford (Sep 24, 2017)
--25 (25- 7-58) 5s Smith, Alexa (Colorado) at Colorado State (Sep 16, 2017)
Arizona State Individual Match Records (Rally Scoring Era) | Kills
--Macey Gardner (9/24/14 at Arizona)...............................30
--Sarah Reaves (9/20/08 vs. W. Kentucky).......................30
--Oluoma Okaro (11/24/17 vs. UW)..................................30
--Macey Gardner (11/21/14 at WSU)................................29
--Macey Gardner (10/24/13 at Utah).................................29
--Macey Gardner (11/15/14 vs. Oregon)..........................28
--Macey Gardner (8/31/12 at UC Irvine)...........................28
--Sarah Reaves (9/27/07 vs. Oregon)................................28
Series Records_Stanford has historically had the upper hand on the Sun Devils, leading the teams' all-time series, 5-68. Arizona State's lone victory against the Cardinal in Palo Alto came in 1982. The Maroon and Gold boast a 35-29 series-lead (17-15, in Berkeley) over California dating back to 1980. The Sun Devils have won the teams' past two meetings, with their last constituting a 3-0, Arizona State victory on 11/16/16.
Taking The Reins_Coach Tomasevic is one of four newcomer head coaches in the Pac-12 confernce this season. Tomasevic and the Sun Devils are slated to face off with two of the other newcomers in the league this week including Kevin Hambly of Stanford and Matt McShane of California.
New Year, Same Oly_In each of Arizona State's four tournaments during the non-conference slate Oluoma Okaro garnered all-tournament team recognition. After collecting MVP honors at the Arizona State-hosted Sun Devil Classic, Aug. 25-26, Okaro went on to net placement on the all-tournament teams of the Gonzaga Invitational (Sep. 1-2) and Lumberjack Classic (Sep. 8-9), and Maverick Classic (Sep. 15-16), respectively. Having paced the Sun Devils on the attack in 111 of the team's 14 matches on the season, Okaro boasts a kills per set average of 4.7o, marking the second-best tally in the conference and the 12th-best in the country. Her points per set average of 5.44 accounts for the second-best in the league, while her five double-doubles on the campaign sits in a tie for the third most in the Pac-12.
Harker Earns Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Honors_Following a historic outing at UT Arlington's Maverick Classic (Sep. 15-16), senior libero Halle Harker garnered Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors, as announced by the league office on Sep. 18.The recognition represents the first of Harker's career, while marking the 22nd player of the week nod in Sun Devil program history. Buoying the Sun Devil defensive effort on the weekend, Harker compiled 61 digs (6.10 dps), while adding 18 assists, to help propel the Sun Devils (10-2), to perfect, 3-0 showing at the UT Arlington-hosted Maverick Classic. Most notably her 23-dig outing in Arizona State's 3-1 victory (25-20, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19) over Houston Baptist Saturday morning, moved her into third in Sun Devil program history in career digs.
Hark! The Halle Digs_Harker's career digs tally of 1,677 marks the third-best in Arizona State program history, and also constitutes the 12th most in the NCAA among active players. The Pac-12 conference's current leader in digs per set at a clip of 5.48, Harker sits 22th in the nation in that category.
ASU Career Digs Leaders
--Sydney Donahue, 2004-07-- 2385
--Stephanie Preach, 2010-2013—2010
--Halle Harker, 2014-present—1677
--Christy Nore, 1985-88 –1597
--Jami Coughlin, 1998-2001—1528
Peterson Shines In Five-Set Loss to UW_Sophomore setter Nicole Peterson recorded a career high 51 assists and added 12 digs for her third career double-double and her second this season in Arizona State's 3-2 loss to visiting Washington in Sep. 24. She has now recorded six starts on the season.
Youth Movement_A trio of Sun Devil true freshman including Griere Hughes, Shelbie Dobmeier and Megan Beedie, has shined in the early going of the 2017 season. Hughes, an outside hitter from Fishers, Indiana, has notched double-figure kills tallies in 10 of Arizona State's 14 outings on the season. Her kills per set average of 3.13 marks the tenth-best in the conference and second-best among freshmen. Dobmeier, a setter, from Lakewood, Calif, remains the Pac-12 leader in assists per set, with a tally of 11.62 to her credit. Beedie, a middle blocker from Cambridge, Ontario, has made four consecutive starts for the Sun Devils, logging 22 kills and eight total blocks in that span.
Preseason Sun Devil All-Tournament Selections
--Sun Devil Classic (Aug. 25-26): Oluoma Okaro (MVP), Shelbie Dobmeier
--Gonzaga Invitational (Sep. 1-2): Oluoma Okaro
--Lumberjack Classic (Sep. 8-9): Halle Harker (MVP), Oluoma Okaro, Peyton Grahovac
--Maverick Classic (Sep. 15-16): Griere Hughes, Oluoma Okaro
There's No Place Like Home_Arizona State officially rang in the 2017 season playing host to the Sun Devils Classic, Aug. 25-26. The team exited the outing unscathed, garnering straight-set victories over Weber State, North Dakota State and 2016 NCAA tournament team Boise State respectively. Senior Oluoma Okaro paced Arizona State in kills in each of the team's three weekend matches to earn tournament MVP honors, while freshman setter Shelbie Dobmeier notched consecutive double-doubles to cap the tournament and earn selection to the Sun Devil Classic All-Tournament team. The Sun Devils are now 14-1 in home openers, dating back back to 2002.
Tomasevic Garners First Career Win_In her first match at the helm of the Sun Devil volleyball program, first-year head coach Sanja Tomasevic guided the Sun Devils to a 3-0 straight-set sweep of visiting Weber St on Aug. 25. The statement victory preceded two additional wins, seeing the Sun Devils exit the weekend at a perfect 3-0 season mark.
Pac-12 Slate_Following their trek to Northern California, the Sun Devils will return to Tempe for their longest home stand of the season. The four-game stretch begins Wednesday, Oct. 6th with a matchup with UCLA in addition to a Thursday, Oct. 7th contest against USC. The next weekend, Arizona State hosts Colorado (Wednesday, Oct. 13th) and Utah (Friday, Oct. 15th) to complete the extended home stay. The Sun Devils will then proceed to travel to Oregon the next weekend to take on Oregon (Wednesday, Oct. 20th) and Oregon State (Thursday, Oct. 21st). Arizona State returns to Wells Fargo Arena to square off for the second time with the Bay Area schools. The Sun Devils play Stanford (Wednesday, October 27th) and California (Friday, October 29th) with both matches being aired on Pac-12 Network. Arizona State will hit the road again the following week as they head back to California, this time to the southern part of the state. The Sun Devils will take on USC (Friday, Nov. 3rd) and UCLA (Saturday, Nov. 4th), each for the second time on the season. During the final home stand, the Sun Devils will take on Oregon (Thursday, Nov. 9th) and Oregon State (Friday, Nov. 11th). Arizona State will honor the senior class during the final match on Nov. 11th against Oregon State. Arizona State's gauntlet of a 20-match Pac-12 slate will see the Sun Devils take on some of the nation's top teams. ASU will match up with the defending national champions, the Stanford Cardinal, twice during the regular season (Sep. 27 & Oct. 27). The Maroon and Gold will face a total of nine teams that made the NCAA tournament, including eight teams from the Pac-12 conference – Stanford, Washington, Washington State, Utah, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Arizona.
Meet The Team
The Seniors_Libero Halle Harker, middle blocker Oluoma Okaro and defensive specialist Blair Robalin return for their respective senior seasons. Joining the crop of seniors is transfer outside hitter Isabel Miller, who previously competed at Boise State and San Diego Mesa.
Harker has led the Sun Devils in digs in each of her previous three seasons donning the Maroon and Gold and appeared in all 120 sets for Arizona State in 2016. Her career tally of 1,403 digs sits at No. 6 in the all-time ASU record book.
Okaro made an immediate impact last season after transferring to the program from San Francisco, ultimately earning All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors. Posting a team-best 336 kills, Okaro also notched 128 blocks and 39 service aces to highlight a strong Junior campaign.
Robalin who enters her third season with the team appeared in 10 sets while tallying 11 digs in 2016.
Miller who most recently spent two seasons at San Diego-Mesa College averaged 4.89 kills per set overall and 5.49 in conference while holding a .228 hitting percentage last season for the Olympians.
The Juniors_Middle blocker Carmen Unzue is back for her second season with the Sun Devils, joined by transfers Peyton Grahovac (Opposite Hitter/Long Beach State) and Alexa Lister (Middle Hitter/Louisiana Tech).
Unzue posted 26 kills and 15 total blocks while appearing in 28 sets for the Sun Devils in 2016.
Grahovac joins the Sun Devils after two exceptional seasons at Long Beach State, that saw the Orange, Calif., native accumulate 321 kills and 85 blocks, while appearing in 165 sets and making 44 starts.
Alexa Lister, daughter of Arizona State Hall of Fame basketball player Alton Lister, last spent two seasons under Adriano de Souza at Louisiana Tech University. She appeared in 87 sets while making 21 starts as a Sophomore in 2016, pacing the Lady Techsters in blocks with 46 to her credit and finishing the season third in kills (154).
The Sophomores_Libero Courtney Leffel, setter Nicole Peterson, defensive specialist Halle Johnson and outside hitter Ivana Jeremic return for their sophomore seasons, joined by Santa Clara transfer Callie Jones.
Leffel, who appeared in 116 of 120 total sets for the Sun Devils in 2016, notched 196 digs, accounting for the second most in that category on the season.
Peterson who saw playing time in 47 total sets, posted 264 assists (second-most on the team), while adding 68 digs and nine service aces for Arizona State in 2016.
Johnson appeared in 78 total sets while tallying 120 digs in 2016.
Jeremic heads into 2017 coming off a strong freshman campaign in 2016, that saw her post 246 kills, an average of 2.4 per set, while adding 127 digs.
The Freshmen_The Sun Devils' 2017 roster features four freshmen: Griere Hughes (Outside Hitter/Fishers, IN./Hamilton Southeastern), Danica Krstonošic (Outside Hitter/Novi Sad, Serbia/Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj), Shelbie Dobmeier (Setter/Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood) and Megan Beedie (Middle Blocker/Cambridge, ON./Jacob Hespeler Secondary School).
Meet The Staff
Head Coach/Sanja Tomasevic_Tomasevic was named the eight coach of the Arizona State volleyball program on Dec. 21, 2016. She moves into the role after serving the program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for ASU's indoor program in 2016, where the Sun Devils capped the year with three straight home wins, including a five-set thriller over Pac-12 rival Arizona.
Prior to her time in Tempe, Tomasevic spent two years at the University of Miami, where she helped the Hurricanes reach back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. The 2015 season also marked Miami's second straight season with 20-plus wins. Tomasevic went to Miami after spending two seasons at Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Roadrunners.
The Serbia native played eight years professionally, including the final two as a co-captain of POMI Casalmaggiore in Italy. She was named to four All-Star Games and was named the Best Server at the 2010 European Challenge Cup. She won three league championships, including back-to-back Greek titles with Panathinaikos in 2009 and 2010.
A two-time All-American and the 2005 Asics and CVU.com National Player of the Year at the University of Washington, Tomasevic led the Huskies to four NCAA tournament appearances, including the 2005 National Championship, and a pair of Pac-10 Conference titles. In October of 2016, Tomasevic became just the second individual volleyball player to be inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame.
The former outside hitter ended her collegiate career as Washington's all-time leader in points (2,159.5), kills (1,795) and service aces (156). She is one of only five players in Huskies history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
Assistant Coach/Carlos Moreno_Named to the Sun Devil staff on Feb. 2, Moreno joins the program after previously serving as a graduate assistant under the direction of Amanda Berkley at Southern Mississippi University. During his one-year tenure at Southern Miss, Moreno operated in a number of facets including on-court coaching, recruiting, fundraising, and compliance. Moreno most notably worked extensively with the team's offensive systems and setters, including All-Conference honoree Sarah Bell.
Prior to his stint at Southern Miss, Moreno garnered coaching experience directing camps and clinics in his native country of Brazil, while also serving as the head coach of the University of Sao Paulo Women's Volleyball Team from 2000 to 2002.
Preceding his coaching career, Moreno compiled a prolific playing career as a setter at Brigham University, garnering essentially every national award possible, including AVCA and MPSF Player of the year honors. A three-year starter for the Cougars, Moreno amassed 4,628 career assists, marking the second-most in program in history, while adding 78 career aces (4th-most in program history). Spearheading BYU NCAA Championship runs in 2003 and 2004, Moreno earned a plethora of Player of the Year and MVP honors while also being placed on MSPF's and AVCA's respective first-teams.
A two-time All-American and the 2004 AVCA National Player of the Year, Moreno led the Cougars to two NCAA tournament appearances, including the 2004 National Championship, and a pair of MPSF Conference titles.
Assistant Coach/Macey Gardner:_Former Sun Devil standout Macey Gardner was tabbed to the role of assistant coach on May 15, after serving one season as an assistant coach under Shane Pinder at Liberty University. Arguably one of the greatest student-athletes in not only the program's history, but Sun Devil Athletics' history, Garnder notched a plethora of accolades during her time as a Sun Devil.
Macey Gardner Sun Devil Trophy Case
- ASU record holder for career kills with 1,882, 11 more than the previous record holder.
- 17th Sun Devil to record 1,000 career digs, and just the 10th to record 1,000 or more kills and digs in her career.
- Recorded eight matches with 27 or more kills.
- First Sun Devil to earn national honors from the AVCA since Amanda Burbridge was recognized on Oct. 23, 2000.
- 2015 Pac-12 Women's Volleyball Player of the Week.
- 2015 AVCA Player of the Week.
- 2014 AVCA All-Pacific South Region Honoree, ASU's first since 2000.
- ASU's second three-time selection to the Pac-12 All-Conference team (joining Christine Garner (1993-95)).
- 2014 Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention Honoree.
- Selected to play on the Pac-12 volleyball All-Star team in China in 2013
- Owns the ASU freshman records for total kills (577), kills per set (4.40) and kills in a match (28).