#15 Volleyball Hosts Utah, #20 BYU This Week

TEMPE – The first home Big 12 volleyball matches for No. 15 Sun Devil Volleyball are this week as Arizona State hosts Utah on Wednesday in Mullett Arena before a ranked matchup against No. 20 BYU on Friday in Desert Financial Arena.

How to Follow
Arizona State will host its Big 12 home opener against Utah on Wednesday (October 2) at 6:30 p.m. MST in Mullett Arena. Every fan who attends the game will be entered to win a volleyball autographed by the team.

On Friday (October 4), ASU will bring in BYU to Desert Financial Arena, starting at 5 p.m. MST. This is the Hispanic Heritage Game for Arizona State. Additionally, the first 2,000 fans will receive free pom poms to help them cheer on the Sun Devils. 

Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats as well. Updates will be provided on social media on X (@SunDevilVB) and Instagram (@sundevilvolleyball). For more fan information, check out the 2024 fan guide.

Sun Devil Outlook
No. 15 Arizona State (12-2, 1-1 Big 12)

• Last week was the start of Big 12 play, the first season in the conference for the Sun Devils. Arizona State split its two ranked matchups on the road, sweeping No. 22 TCU before falling in four sets at No. 19 Baylor.
• Home matches are becoming can't-miss events for the Sun Devils. Already this season, Arizona State has started setting attendance records with the home match against Memphis on September 20 reaching 4,193 in attendance, the fifth-highest number in team history. Playing in half of the matches in Desert Financial Arena and the other half in Mullett Arena for the first time in 2023, the team set a program record last season for average attendance (3,146), which was No. 12 in the nation. The total attendance of 31,458 was also a team record, which was achieved with just 10 home matches. 
• Senior outside hitter Geli Cyr has been on fire recently. A four-year Sun Devil, she had a career-high 18 kills in the team's first Big 12 win at No. 22 TCU, ASU's first ranked win of the year. Her 18 kills are the most by a Sun Devil in a match this season. She followed that up with her first double-double of the year at No. 19 Baylor, leading all players with 17 kills, just one away from her new career high. She has had double-digit kills in four matches in a row.
• In the AVCA Coaches Poll, Arizona State is now No. 15, dropping just one spot. The Sun Devils have been ranked in 16 consecutive polls, 12 of which have been in the top 20. 

Utah (12-1, 2-0 Big 12)

• The Utes, who are receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, have had a strong start to the season, losing just one match so far to then-No. 8 Purdue. They kicked off their first season in the Big 12 with wins against Texas Tech and Colorado.
• A fellow former Pac-12 member, Utah went 11-19 in 2023. 
• ASU trails in the all-time series against Utah, 20-17; however, the Sun Devils have won the last three-straight matchups including two sweeps in a row.

No. 20 BYU (9-3, 2-0 Big 12)

• After a three-match losing streak in the middle of non-conference play (two of which were to ranked teams), BYU has won its last five in a row. The Cougars started conference play with two wins at home to Colorado and Texas Tech.
• Last season was BYU's first in the Big 12. The team went 25-7 and won their first-round match in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Sun Devils are down in the all-time series against the Cougars, 18-5. The two teams met in Provo last season for the second round of the NCAA Tournament, which ASU won in straight sets.