Non-Conference Slate Wraps Up in Memphis

TEMPE – Sun Devil Volleyball looks to maintain their perfect record as they head to Memphis this Thursday through Saturday for the Beale Street Challenge to take on Memphis, Little Rock, and Southern Miss. 

How to Follow
All three matches will be hosted by Memphis at the Larry O'Finch Center. Thursday's match against the host team Tigers will be at 11 a.m. MST/1 p.m. CDT and will be live on ESPN+. The remaining two neutral site matches on Friday and Saturday will not be available to watch. ASU will play Little Rock on Friday at 1 p.m. MST/3 p.m. CDT, before wrapping up the tournament on Saturday against Southern Miss at 8 a.m. MST/10 a.m. CDT.  All three matches will have live stats.

Sun Devil Outlook
Arizona State (9-0, 0-0)

• The Sun Devils went 3-0 last weekend at the Lumberjack Classic to win the tournament. This is the best start ASU has had since 2015 and is tied for the fourth-best start in program history. ASU is one of 14 undefeated teams in the country, one of two in the Pac-12, along with Cal.
• This is the last of four-straight weeks on the road for Arizona State. ASU is one of three Pac-12 schools to spend the entire non-conference schedule on the road, along with Oregon and UCLA.
• In the NCAA rankings, Arizona State is in the top five in a few categories. In team hitting percentage, the Sun Devils are second in the nation with a .345 clip. They're also highly ranked in opponent hitting percentage, checking in at fifth with .125. 
• The serving game continues to be a strong point for Arizona State. As a team, they are ranked 11th in the nation in aces per set with 2.20. Senior opposite Marta Levinska is leading the team with 21 aces, already six more than she had last season. That number is good for eighth in the nation. She's also fifth in aces per set with .70.
• The pin hitters have been solid for the team to start the season. Levinska and junior outside hitter Cyr are one kill away for season totals, Levinska with 113 and Cyr with 112. For Levinska, she is currently in 14th place for career kills, 56 kills away from 13th place. For Cyr, she has already notched a career-high 16 kills this season, reaching that number twice. Last weekend, she was named the Lumberjack Classic MVP.
• Graduate setter Shannon Shields has 299 assists on the year to lead the team. She has eclipsed 1,500 career assists, currently at 1,674. Her game has been well-rounded, as she has had two double-doubles so far, upping her career total to 12.

Opponent Outlook
Memphis (3-6, 0-0) 

• Memphis had a 18-15 overall record last season, and went 8-12 in conference play. 
• Last weekend, the Tigers played at the Husky Invitational hosted by Washington. They went 1-2 there, with the one win coming against FIU. 
• This will be the first meeting between ASU and Memphis.

Little Rock (3-6, 0-0) 

• The Trojans struggled in 2022. They went 7-24, 4-14 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
• After starting the year 0-5, Little Rock caught fire over the weekend, winning all three matches at the Louisiana Tech Invitational. 
• This will be the first meeting between ASU and Little Rock.

Southern Miss (3-5, 0-0)

• The Golden Eagles had a 21-12 overall record in 2022 and went 10-6 in the Sun Belt Conference. They had a postseason run in the NIVC, making it to the semifinals.
• Southern Miss hosted the Golden Eagle Classic last weekend, winning both matches played. 
• Historically, ASU is 1-0 against Southern Miss, beating them in four sets back in 2011.