TEMPE, Ariz. – With nine new players on the roster and many strong returning starters, this year's Arizona State volleyball team is set to take a huge step forward in 2019.
After seeing improvement in 2018, the Sun Devils look to take an even bigger leap in 2019. Arizona State finished the season at 14-18, 5-15 Pac-12. Following a tough 2017 season, the Sun Devils improved immensely, earning four more wins in the season total and five more in conference play. This has been the biggest improvement from season to season for an ASU team since 2012 when the nine 2011 wins jumped to 20.
Last season, the Sun Devils were ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll at No. 25 on Oct. 8, the first time being ranked since 2015 when they reached as high as No. 5. They also received votes on Oct. 1 and 15. They got recognition nationwide after three ranked wins, all top-15 teams.
"We are super excited to finally get into this season," Arizona State head coach Sanja Tomasevic said. "This year we have a good mix of returning and new players and a good mix of experience and inexperience. We have 12 players who already understand our system and expectations since they have already either trained or competed for us. They have already done an amazing job helping incoming athletes with the transition into the Sun Devil family. This preseason is mostly on the road, which could be very good for us to get things in place before we show up in front of our fans. I think Sun Devil family will like this team a lot."
The 2019 roster has a good mix of returning starters and fresh faces. Each position is broken down below:
Outside/Right Side Hitters
The pin hitters in 2019 include a mix of returning starters, transfers and a freshman. Senior Ivana Jeremic and junior Claire Kovensky both started for the Sun Devils in 2018. The two of them were second and third on the team, respectively, in kills with 309 and 222. Jeremic started 29 matches and Kovensky started 27. Another returner is redshirt sophomore Danica Krstonošic, who appeared in 37 sets and tallied 40 kills and 18.0 blocks.
Joining ASU this year are two transfers, Andrea Mitrovic and Jada Burse. Mitrovic has been with the team since January, playing in spring practices and scrimmages. She came from Buffalo where she earned All-MAC honors throughout her two seasons there. Additionally, she played with the Canadian National Team during the summer. Burse will be playing her senior season after three years at Kansas. In each of her three seasons, she received All-Big 12 nods.
The last outside hitter is incoming freshman Iman Isanovic. From Bosnia and Herzegovina, she led her high school to top-3 finishes in the last two seasons. She also spent time playing for the Bosnian National Team.
Middle Blockers
Three middle blockers are on the 2019 roster for the Sun Devils. Junior Megan Beedie returns with the most experience after starting 31 matches last season. She was fifth in the Pac-12 and first on the team in hitting percentage with .355. Additionally, she second on the team in blocks with 62.0 and fourth in kills with 192. This summer, she played with the NextGen Canada Team, representing Canada in the PanAmerican Games.
Arizona State also brings back sophomore Avital Jaloba, who played for the Israeli National Team before coming to ASU. She played in 28 sets as a freshman, totaling 12 kills and 16 blocks. Kennedi Boyd is the third middle blocker on the squad, joining the team as a freshman. She comes from Alpine, Utah, where she led her high school to three-straight state championships. She was named an Under Armour All-American Honorable Mention and first team all-state twice.
Setters
Pacing the offense, Nicole Peterson, Callie Jones and Noa Miller are the setters on the 2019 squad. Peterson, a senior, has spent time both as a setter and a hitter throughout her time at ASU. Last season, she led the team in assists with 571 and also chipped in 105 kills. She started 23 matches and played in 32. Jones, also a senior, started out as a libero at Arizona State and switched to set when her name was called. She played in 26 matches in 2019, earning 267 assists.
Rounding out the setters on the roster is Miller, a transfer sophomore from Wofford. She was second on her team in assists with 481. She also notched 194 digs and 16 aces. In addition to a solid first season, Miller was an AAU All-American in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Liberos
Arizona State has six defensive specialists on the roster this year, one with solid experience. Courtney Leffel has played significant time in the last two seasons, starting at libero in 2018 in every match. She led the team in digs with 506 and had nine matches with 20-plus digs. Sophomore Paige Denton is the other returning DS, having played in 23 sets last year.
Joining those two are four freshmen liberos: Madi Berkholz, Emily Holbrook, Annika Larson and Hattie Patton. Larson joined the team in January and has spring experience under her belt. The Colorado native was an all-conference first-team player from 2016-18 and was the player of the year in 2018. The three freshman joining this fall have also seen high levels of success in high school. Berkholz was the 2018 District Defensive Player of the Year, helping her team to a 98-2 record in the last two seasons. Holbrook led her club team to back-to-back national championships, earning MVP honors this year. Like Berkholz, Patton was also named the defensive player of the year in addition to all-region and all-state honors.
Fans will have their first chance to see the Sun Devils in action at the Maroon and Gold scrimmage on August 24 at noon in Wells Fargo Arena. It will be free and open to the public.
After seeing improvement in 2018, the Sun Devils look to take an even bigger leap in 2019. Arizona State finished the season at 14-18, 5-15 Pac-12. Following a tough 2017 season, the Sun Devils improved immensely, earning four more wins in the season total and five more in conference play. This has been the biggest improvement from season to season for an ASU team since 2012 when the nine 2011 wins jumped to 20.
Last season, the Sun Devils were ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll at No. 25 on Oct. 8, the first time being ranked since 2015 when they reached as high as No. 5. They also received votes on Oct. 1 and 15. They got recognition nationwide after three ranked wins, all top-15 teams.
"We are super excited to finally get into this season," Arizona State head coach Sanja Tomasevic said. "This year we have a good mix of returning and new players and a good mix of experience and inexperience. We have 12 players who already understand our system and expectations since they have already either trained or competed for us. They have already done an amazing job helping incoming athletes with the transition into the Sun Devil family. This preseason is mostly on the road, which could be very good for us to get things in place before we show up in front of our fans. I think Sun Devil family will like this team a lot."
The 2019 roster has a good mix of returning starters and fresh faces. Each position is broken down below:
Outside/Right Side Hitters
The pin hitters in 2019 include a mix of returning starters, transfers and a freshman. Senior Ivana Jeremic and junior Claire Kovensky both started for the Sun Devils in 2018. The two of them were second and third on the team, respectively, in kills with 309 and 222. Jeremic started 29 matches and Kovensky started 27. Another returner is redshirt sophomore Danica Krstonošic, who appeared in 37 sets and tallied 40 kills and 18.0 blocks.
Joining ASU this year are two transfers, Andrea Mitrovic and Jada Burse. Mitrovic has been with the team since January, playing in spring practices and scrimmages. She came from Buffalo where she earned All-MAC honors throughout her two seasons there. Additionally, she played with the Canadian National Team during the summer. Burse will be playing her senior season after three years at Kansas. In each of her three seasons, she received All-Big 12 nods.
The last outside hitter is incoming freshman Iman Isanovic. From Bosnia and Herzegovina, she led her high school to top-3 finishes in the last two seasons. She also spent time playing for the Bosnian National Team.
Middle Blockers
Three middle blockers are on the 2019 roster for the Sun Devils. Junior Megan Beedie returns with the most experience after starting 31 matches last season. She was fifth in the Pac-12 and first on the team in hitting percentage with .355. Additionally, she second on the team in blocks with 62.0 and fourth in kills with 192. This summer, she played with the NextGen Canada Team, representing Canada in the PanAmerican Games.
Arizona State also brings back sophomore Avital Jaloba, who played for the Israeli National Team before coming to ASU. She played in 28 sets as a freshman, totaling 12 kills and 16 blocks. Kennedi Boyd is the third middle blocker on the squad, joining the team as a freshman. She comes from Alpine, Utah, where she led her high school to three-straight state championships. She was named an Under Armour All-American Honorable Mention and first team all-state twice.
Setters
Pacing the offense, Nicole Peterson, Callie Jones and Noa Miller are the setters on the 2019 squad. Peterson, a senior, has spent time both as a setter and a hitter throughout her time at ASU. Last season, she led the team in assists with 571 and also chipped in 105 kills. She started 23 matches and played in 32. Jones, also a senior, started out as a libero at Arizona State and switched to set when her name was called. She played in 26 matches in 2019, earning 267 assists.
Rounding out the setters on the roster is Miller, a transfer sophomore from Wofford. She was second on her team in assists with 481. She also notched 194 digs and 16 aces. In addition to a solid first season, Miller was an AAU All-American in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Liberos
Arizona State has six defensive specialists on the roster this year, one with solid experience. Courtney Leffel has played significant time in the last two seasons, starting at libero in 2018 in every match. She led the team in digs with 506 and had nine matches with 20-plus digs. Sophomore Paige Denton is the other returning DS, having played in 23 sets last year.
Joining those two are four freshmen liberos: Madi Berkholz, Emily Holbrook, Annika Larson and Hattie Patton. Larson joined the team in January and has spring experience under her belt. The Colorado native was an all-conference first-team player from 2016-18 and was the player of the year in 2018. The three freshman joining this fall have also seen high levels of success in high school. Berkholz was the 2018 District Defensive Player of the Year, helping her team to a 98-2 record in the last two seasons. Holbrook led her club team to back-to-back national championships, earning MVP honors this year. Like Berkholz, Patton was also named the defensive player of the year in addition to all-region and all-state honors.
Fans will have their first chance to see the Sun Devils in action at the Maroon and Gold scrimmage on August 24 at noon in Wells Fargo Arena. It will be free and open to the public.