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Noemie Glover’s path to Tempe

Noemie Glover smiling.Noemie Glover smiling.
Pete Vander Stoep

By Jonah Broos, Cronkite PR Lab

Noemie Glover is no stranger to greatness. The Sun Devil Volleyball junior opposite and 2025 U21 Pan American Cup gold medalist has been purposeful in every step of her path to reach the highest level of her sport. The move to Tempe has proven to be mutually beneficial, as the No. 7 Sun Devil Volleyball team started 5-0 in Big 12 play this season, and Glover has added to her already impressive resume.

Ever since her volleyball career began in her hometown of Rancho Santa Fe, California, Glover has been intentional about her goal to play against top competition. These aspirations led her to Cathedral Catholic High School, a national powerhouse known for producing division I athletes.

“In my senior year, we had 10 girls committed to play in college, and we were undefeated,” Glover said of her time at Cathedral Catholic. “We were number one in the country. It was always just about raising the bar every year.”

Glover's relentless drive for improvement followed her into the NCAA. She originally committed to and played her freshman and sophomore campaigns with Oregon before transferring to Arizona State in the spring of 2025. The move, she says, was fueled by a desire to stay close to San Diego and belief in what head coach JJ Van Niel was building.

“I was thinking about proximity to home,” explained Glover. “I was thinking about the girls that you meet and how they're connected to volleyball because not everyone's goal within volleyball is similar. “I think just the mindset of kind of being competitive, being top in the conference, making runs for playoffs, and pushing yourself.”

Glover was wowed by Van Niel’s instant success as Sun Devil Volleyball’s head coach.

“The impact that JJ has made within his first three years here is just something that is a testament to how hard you want to work to get to where you are,” said Glover. “It can take over five years to even break that ceiling. I think just being able to do that instantly is a testament to what we want to do as a program.”

Noemie Glover feature video

Van Niel, who took over the ASU program in 2023, had followed Glover’s development for years.

“I actually used to coach at her old club,” he said. “She’s really physical, has a great arm and is an excellent blocker.”

Van Niel’s been impressed with Glover’s seamless transition into Sun Devil Volleyball culture.

“Noemie's been phenomenal,” said Van Niel. “She's engaging with her teammates. It's been really impressive, and she's also been unbelievably intentional with some of the things we've asked her to try to get better at, and she's done a really nice job there.”

Noemie values the family she joined in Sun Devil Volleyball.

“It's a blessing, honestly. I think it's just being able to be in a place where everyone is so supportive around you,” she said. “Everyone has similar mindsets, and they are bought into the process.”

Noemie’s intentionality, along with her competitive drive, also aid in making her a good fit with the program.

“There's a competitive drive and ambition for being great, which she certainly embodies. When you're playing in a college sport, it can be a full-time job,” explained Van Niel. “The intentionality of trying to make small changes to get better is a big deal, and it's shown through since we've been here.”

Before starting her first season with ASU, Glover made the U21 US National Team for the 2025 Pan-American Games.

“USA Volleyball has one of the top volleyball programs in the world,” said Glover. “Just being a part of representing the USA - you're putting on the jersey, you're in the gyms in Colorado Springs and the training center. There are so many different types of athletes and Paralympic (athletes) around you. So it was just a huge accomplishment being in the room with all those people.”

Glover’s work with Team USA taught her to prepare for competition at the highest level.

“Just being out there competing in the Pan Am, you see the level of volleyball that the USA has created as a standard,” explained Glover. “We swept every single match when we were there, because we were so competitive in our own gym for that week in Colorado. We were beyond prepared for any team that we were playing.”

While Glover doesn’t measure success in wins or losses, she has high hopes for the coming season.

“There are things that you want to reach, like obviously being Big 12 champions, making it to the Final Four, winning a national championship,” said Glover. “But I just think it's more like the day-to-day, how you can go about every day and how you can grow.”

After she graduates, Glover wants to keep making an impact in volleyball.

“I want to play pro. I want to make an impact with the next group of volleyball kids that are going to come and play in college, or come and play in high school,” she said. “Any way that I can build a voice, be someone that people can lean on and look forward to with the next generation of volleyball.”

Noemie wouldn’t be the only Glover to reach the highest level of their sport. La’roi Glover, her father, played 13 years as a defensive lineman in the NFL, making six Pro Bowls. His impact on her athletic career is evident, and she explained that his mindset was “ingrained” in her.

“I have to be scrappy. I have to give it my all. I have to put my body on the line. And being able to see how that has impacted his life is just something else,” Glover explained. “He kind of sits back, takes the kind of calm, easy role of, ‘Hey, look, you know what to do out there. You just have it in your brain. You're a dog, go out there and show people.’”

So far, Glover has done more than enough to “show people.” Her excellence early in the season earned her two Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. She has led the Sun Devils to a dominant 14-2 record after winning eight in a row, including against ranked opponents No. 16 Baylor and No. 24 Colorado last week at home.

With no end in sight, keep an eye on Sun Devil Volleyball as they seek to, in Glover's words, “go on a big run.”