TEMPE, Ariz.- Since head coach Sanja Tomasevic came to Sun Devil Volleyball in 2016, a big focus of her time in Tempe is remaining connected with alumni of the program.
Honoring and having former players around the program will be in full effect this weekend as ASU will host its inaugural Webb-Burbridge Classic at Desert Financial Arena, which will honor two Sun Devil greats in the first tournament of the season.
The tournament is named after ASU legends and hall of famers Amanda Burbridge (1997-2000) and Tammy Webb-Leibl (1983-1986), who both will be honored during the tournament.
“Those two to me just stood out,” Tomasevic said. “We had to start somewhere and I just felt those two names were some of the most elite names to ever wear maroon and gold.”
To kick off the 2022 season, we are hosting the inaugural Webb-Burbridge Classic, a tournament named after Sun Devil legends Tammy Webb-Leibl and Amanda Burbridge! ⭐️⭐️
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) July 25, 2022
The tournament is August 26-27 and will also be Alumni Weekend 🔱
Amanda Burbridge remains local to the Phoenix area and coaches at Revolution Volleyball Academy. The outside hitter was an All-American her senior season and is fifth in career kills in the ASU record book. She said she has played a role as an alumni to the program and wants to support the program in any way possible.
“Our role as alumni is to just support the program however we can,” Burbridge said. “I think Sanja does a great job with maintaining relationships with us, which has been great. She’s done a really nice job of just having a welcoming environment and getting us involved.”
Tammy Webb-Leibl currently resides in the San Diego area and in addition to playing for the Sun Devils, she went on to play on the U.S. National Team in 1987 and was on the team until 1996. She played in three Olympic Games, including Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996). The U.S. National team got a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympic Games.
During her time on the national team, Webb-Leibl did come back to Tempe for a game and said she enjoyed the warm welcome to come back to her university in 1987.
“It was awesome because I’d literally just left so I knew a lot of the players still and there was a lot of excitement from me coming back there,” Webb-Leibl said.
Like with any sports team, it’s always beneficial for current players to connect with those who’ve played for the same program. Tomasevic said she hopes every year going forward that this tournament brings alumni and current players together.
“Right now, they’re wrapped up in their lives being a student-athlete, it’s super hard to think about the impact an event like this has, but ultimately it’s so special,” Tomasevic said. “So just seeing how that’s going to shape them up to what’s next down the road and hopefully they will interact with alumni and learn from their experiences.”
Several dozen alumni of the program will be in attendance in both the crowd and on the court. ASU will play its first match of the season against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday at 11 a.m. MST and CSUB’s head coach is Giovana Melo, who is a two-time Sun Devil graduate and was a setter for ASU from 2003-04, as well as an assistant coach for three seasons.
Tomasevic and Burbridge agreed that if more students go to volleyball games, especially with this first tournament, they hope students will grow an appreciation for the excitement of the game itself.
“I think it’s just one of those sports that people don’t necessarily know that well and I think that students would really like it,” Burbridge said. “It would just be nice for students because we’re in the bigger arena, it would be nice for them to see a lot more student attendance and a following.”