TEMPE, Ariz. – A more experienced version of Sun Devil Volleyball is ready to earn it in the 2022 season with all-conference players and key starters returning to make some noise.
In the fifth year under head coach Sanja Tomasevic, Sun Devil Volleyball went 14-17 (7-13 Pac-12) in 2021. The team finished in ninth in the conference and was first in the conference in total digs. Arizona State earned three wins over ranked opponents, all against Pac-12 teams during a five-match winning streak.
This season, ASU will face 10 NCAA tournament teams: four in non-conference play and six in the Pac-12. Eight of the 10 teams won at least one game in the tournament, with three making the Sweet Sixteen and one (Georgia Tech) in the Elite Eight. Eight of those teams are ranked in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll, including two in the top 10: No. 8 Washington and No. 9 Georgia Tech. After opening the season at home with the Webb-Burbridge Classic, the Sun Devils will be on the road for the next five weeks, taking on the road warrior mentality.
Arizona State graduated just one senior last year, returning eight Sun Devils who started a match. With two graduate students, three seniors and six juniors, as well as a talented group of underclassmen, the team is more mature and ready to take on a tough schedule.
Back in Desert Financial Arena 😈#ForksUp | #EarnIt pic.twitter.com/4edN8nFao4
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) August 10, 2022
Pin Hitters
The pin hitter group is stacked with experience, led by All-Pac-12 honorees Iman Isanovic and Marta Levinska. Isanovic, entering her fourth season with the Sun Devils, was on the All-Pac-12 Team in 2021 after leading the team in kills (490), service aces (34) and solo blocks (20) for the second season in a row. Her 490 total kills is 10th for total kills in a single season in program history. At the end of the regular season, she ranked fifth in the country for total attacks, 13th for total kills and 14th in total points. Isanovic is also fresh off another summer with the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Levinska, a junior, was second on the team with 359 kills and had 24 matches with double-digit kills. She was on the All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention list for her efforts.
Sophomore Geli Cyr looks to continue to make an impact after a strong freshman campaign. She won Pac-12 Freshman of the Week once and was fourth on the team in kills with 135. She tallied four double-doubles over the season and eight matches reaching double figures in kills. Junior Roberta Rabelo also saw time in 2021, earning 76 total kills. Additionally, graduate Maddie McLaughlin is back after redshirting last season.
Sophomore Megan Reilly returns after not seeing the court in 2021. Rounding out the group is freshman Leah Miller, who brings another strong arm to the team. She was all-state twice and made the all-tournament team at nationals in 2021.
Middle Blockers
The group of five middle blockers is led by junior Claire Jeter. She led the team in total blocks with 115, the only Sun Devil to reach triple figures in that category. She also notched triple figures in kills with 261 and led the team with a .337 hitting percentage.
Fellow junior Claudia Stahlke is another returner with experience. She had 41 total blocks last season after earning a spot as a starter for the back half of the year. Sophomore Andi Kreiling saw action last season, but she stepped in as an outside hitter to fill in for injured players and earned 51 kills.
The two newcomers this year are grad transfer Brooke Boiseau and freshman Olivia Johnson. Boiseau played her first three seasons at CSU Bakersfield where she started every match. She finished her career there with a .285 hitting percentage, 774 kills and 305 total blocks, all in the top 10 in the record book at CSUB as a Division I program. Johnson comes to the Sun Devils with multiple accolades, including being named to Prep Volleyball’s top 100 recruits.
Setters
Dishing out 1,029 assists last season, returning junior setter Ella Snyder totaled the most assists in a single season since 2016. Additionally, Snyder tallied 13 double-doubles and 10 matches with 40-plus assists. She played in every match in 2021 for the Sun Devils.
Senior Shannon Shields also returns with some experience. She started five matches last year and played in 13 sets, totaling 164 assists. Sophomore Allie Gray saw limited time in 2021, playing in just two matches.
Liberos
On defense for the Sun Devils, senior Annika Larson-Nummer returns with two years of being the primary libero under her belt. In 2021, she led the team with 373 digs. She had six matches reaching 20 or more digs and reached double figures in digs in 17 matches. Additionally, she finished the season in eighth for total digs in the Pac-12.
Sophomore Meadow Cooper is the defensive specialist who returns with the second-most digs, totaling 55 last year. She played in 31 sets for the Sun Devils. Junior Jinna Zeng missed most of last season due to injury, but in her limited time she served up a pair of aces for the team.
Transfer sophomore Jaden Ravnsborg brings more depth to the libero position, having played at Kansas State her freshman season. She came to Tempe in January and trained with the team in the spring.
Up Next
The annual Maroon and Gold Scrimmage is this Saturday, August 20, at 11 a.m. MST. It will be held in Desert Financial Arena and is free to the public. The following weekend, the season opens with ASU hosting the Webb-Burbridge Classic from August 26-27.