TEMPE – No. 8 Sun Devil Volleyball took care of business on Saturday, sweeping Utah (25-16, 25-15, 25-16) in the Big 12 home opener, which was preceded by the 2024 Big 12 ring ceremony.
Notable stats
- Arizona State (12-2, 3-0 Big 12) has now won six in a row against Utah (8-7, 0-4 Big 12) following this win.
- The Sun Devils held the Utes to a .092 hitting percentage, the sixth match in a row ASU has held its opponents to a sub-.200 clip. It is also the fourth time this season Arizona State has kept a team to a hitting percentage below .100. Meanwhile, ASU hit .309 in the win, the fifth time this season the team has hit .300 or better.
- Junior opposite Noemie Glover had 10 kills to lead all players, her eighth time this season with double-digit kills, third match in a row.
- Senior outside hitter Bailey Miller neared a double-double with nine kills and seven digs on the night. She also had two aces and two blocks.
- On the block, graduate middle blocker Colby Neal had a match-high six, including three solo blocks.
- Attendance was 4,074 at the match. That is the second time this season the crowd has eclipsed 4,000.
It's OFFICIAL! 🤩💍#ForksUp pic.twitter.com/ewKQv6OLCQ
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) October 4, 2025
Set one: ASU 25, Utah 16
Arizona State opened the match with a 4-1 lead, sparked by a kill by Colby Neal and an ace from Miller, but Utah battled back to tie it at 5-5. The Sun Devils then scored three in a row to give them an 8-5 lead, though the Utes evened things up again at 10-10 after a 5-2 run. The Sun Devils broke a series of ties with a kill from Glover and two from Miller to take a 15-13 lead. Utah scored one before ASU went on a 6-2 run to pull ahead 22-16, highlighted by kills from Miller and Presley and an ace by Parrott. Utah called its second timeout to recollect, but ASU scored two more, including a kill from Glover, to secure the first set 25-16.
Set two: ASU 25, Utah 15
A strong start for Arizona State resulted in a 5-2 lead behind three kills from Glover. Six errors by the Utes would further push the Sun Devils lead to 12-8, prompting a Utah timeout. After back-to-back kills from Miller put ASU ahead 22-13, the Utes called for another timeout to halt the Sun Devils’ momentum. It wouldn’t be enough, as a kill from Glover brought Arizona State to set point, and a block by Colby Neal sealed it, 25-15, to go up 2-0 over Utah.
Set three: ASU 25, Utah 16
Both teams traded 3-0 scoring runs to start the third set, tying things at five apiece. The Sun Devils and Utes kept it close early with seven ties, but ASU broke away with a four-point run to take a 12-9 lead, followed by a Utah timeout. A kill from Glover and a block by Colby Neal extended the lead 14-9, capping a 6-0 scoring run for the Sun Devils. The Utes responded with one before Arizona State scored another three straight to make it 17-10. A pair of kills from Parrott and Presley pushed ASU to 21-14. Shortly after, Miller’s ninth kill of the match forced Utah into another timeout, now down 23-15. An ace by Sydney Henry and an error by the Utes led to a 25-16 win in the third set and a sweep for ASU over the Utes.
Up next
Arizona State is home again next week with two matches, first against Baylor on Wednesday and then against Colorado on Friday.
Quotes
Head Coach JJ Van Niel
Opening Statement
“Fun match; we executed very well. And the crowd was phenomenal, over 4,000 people. Thank you, everyone, for coming. It’s so nice, it makes such a big difference for our teams and program when everyone is there. To get that many on a Saturday afternoon was really, really special, so it was a fun day.”
On efficiency throughout the game
“I think our serve today really put a lot of pressure on them, and we continued to block pretty well. So I think when you’re a physical team, when you’re putting service pressure on, it puts pressure on the opponent. So that’s how we’re able to hold the opponent efficiency so low, which is really great to see, aside from two that got loose on us. But as far as ours, I felt like the setters did a nice job. My assistants did a really good job. We got a nice week of practice to kind of prep for how we want to make some changes to get a little cleaner on offense. For the most part, we did a nice job of that. So it was really nice execution.”
On having alumni back for the Big 12 ring ceremony
“I love those guys; they know it. Every time they come back, they come to the office and we spend time together. I spent two and a half hours with Mary (Shroll) when she came by the other night. Shania (Cromartie) flew back, it was so nice. I know some other kids couldn’t be back because they were either playing pro or coaching. But it’s always special to see the people who helped put this program on the map. They’re a big deal, and having them there was awesome.”
Senior setter Sydney Henry
On the mindset heading deeper into Big 12 play
“Being steady, one step at a time. We’re not looking too futuristic, we’re just focused on what’s a few feet in front of us. That’s the most important thing a successful team can do because looking too far ahead is only going to kill you.”
On playing with strong hitters all around
“It makes my job easier and more fun because I know I have weapons everywhere. Whether Bailey (Miller) is in the back row or she’s in the front row. Colby (Neal), Ella (Lomigora), Noemie (Glover), or KP (Kiylah Presley), everyone’s a weapon. It gives me the creativity and forces me to make them change their scheme, and then I can run the middles and skip to the outside. It gives me a lot of creativity to play with, and it’s fun because every person rises to the occasion, and they put balls away. It’s good volleyball.”
Senior outside hitter Bailey Miller
On playing three games in six days
“I think just taking one game at a time helps. Also, knowing that it's a long stretch is big for our recovery. But I think we’re really disciplined tonight because we wanted to make these games as short as possible so that we can get ready for the next one. So I think we were disciplined out there and got it done so that now we can feel good going into the next one.”
On continuing their home undefeated streak
“Just keeping in mind that that’s one of our goals that we set, defending our court. And not that we play harder when we’re here versus away, but just knowing that this is our court and these are our fans, and we have to defend that. So it’s just kind of a chip on our shoulder and knowing we were able to do that last year, so it’s completely possible we’re able to do it this year. So we have some big games at home this year, and so I think it’s just another thing to give us motivation to win.”