By Sydney Ellis, media relations intern
Year in review
The Sand Devils earned an 11-13 record, 6-5 in Pac-12 play. During the year, Arizona State had two win streaks of three. The team started the year winning four of their first five. Of the six Pac-12 wins, which are the most ASU has had, two came against Utah, two against Oregon and two against Arizona.
The highlight of the season was the team sweeping the regular season series against Arizona for the first time since 2014. Not only did the Sun Devils win both teams while the Wildcats were ranked, but ASU came back down 2-0 in both duals to win 3-2.
In the second season with the Sun Devil Beach Volleyball Facility, Arizona State hosted in-state rival Arizona for the home opener, winning that dual. ASU also hosted the Sun Devil Invitational, going 2-1 that weekend.
Head Coach Brad Keenan completed his seventh season and reached 90 wins.
Individual success
There were two pairs for the Sand Devils that stayed together for the entire season. Senior Lexi Sweeney and sophomore Kylie Wickley played together as the No. 1 pair throughout the season. The duo earned 11 wins, including wins against pairs from No. 7 Stanford, No. 18 Arizona, No. 7 Grand Canyon, and again against No. 19 Arizona. In the two wins against the Wildcats, Sweeney and Wickley were the duo that clinched the dual for the Sand Devils.
Junior Taryn Ames and senior Sarah Waters competed together the entire season, seeing time on courts two, three, and four. The veteran pair won 14 games throughout the season, making them the winningest duo of the season and adding them into the record book. The pair earned wins over duos from No. 7 GCU, No. 13 Washington, No. 18 Pepperdine, No. 18 Arizona and No. 20 Arizona.
The win leaders of the season are Ames and Waters with 14 wins each between courts two, three, and four. Freshmen Adriana Nieves Papaleo and Carys Thomas won 13 matches throughout the season. They started the season paired together before ending the season with new partners. Wickley and Sweeney won 11 matches while on court one during the season, the only other Sand Devils to reach double figures in wins.
A couple other Sun Devils had nine wins: sophomore Rylie Kael and junior Kate Fitzgerald. They started the season playing together before teaming up with others towards the end of the year. A pair of others also played the majority of the season: sophomore Anya Pemberton and junior Ivey Weber, who were paired together for the majority of the year at court two.
Newcomers
Freshman duo Thomas and Nieves Papaleo made an impact immediately. They competed in 14 duals together for the Sand Devils. The pair went 5-5 on court No. 4 and went undefeated on No. 5 with four wins. They both ended the season with 13 wins, which is the second-highest win total.
Freshman Kendall Whitmarsh also competed for the Sand Devils in five matches between courts two and five. MayaMay Brown competed in one match for the Sand Devils, and won on court No. 2.
Awards
Lexi Sweeney finished her senior season by being named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team. This is the first time a Sand Devil has been awarded an all-Pac-12 honor since 2021.
Up next
Three senior Sand Devils are moving on: Shane Burleson, Sarah Waters, and Maria Kowal. Senior Lexi Sweeney is coming back to compete in her last year of eligibility. The Sand Devils are adding on five newcomers for the 2024 season: Annalyse Askew from North Carolina, Ava Haughy from California, Alsa Snipes from California, Ava Williamson from Texas, and Deanie Woodruff from California.