TEMPE – Four have signed to join the 2026 Sun Devil Volleyball roster, as Ella Hope, Paige Lehman, Grace Martin and Elle Mottola have signed their national letters of intent.
Lehman and Mottola will enroll at Arizona State in January.
“We couldn't be more excited about our 2026 class!” said head coach JJ Van Niel. “We feel they will raise the level of play in our gym from day one. As a group, they have done a tremendous amount of winning at both the high school and club levels, and that's something we really love. In addition, they are top-notch humans from exceptional families. The Sun Devil family is lucky to have them!”
Ella Hope | 6-3 | Middle Blocker | Waterloo, Ontario, Canada | Bluevale Collegiate Institute
- Played for Bluevale Collegiate Institute and club for both KW Predators and Halton Hurricanes.
- Two-time member of the Team Canada Excellence Program.
- Named All-Canadian twice.
- Two-time Canadian Youth National Team Member.
- Canada Summer Games Gold Medalist.
- Four-year honor roll student.
- Her parents are Meghan and Thomas. Her father played basketball for Wright State.
- She has two younger siblings, Jack and Charlie.
Paige Lehman | 5-9 | Libero | Orlando, Fla. | Winter Park HS
- Played at Winter Park High School and for Winter Park Volleyball Club.
- Named MVP for 2025 AAU Nationals by Prep Volleyball.
- All-Tournament Team at MLK Invitational in 17 Open.
- Named one of the Dynamos of Florida Gold Series Qualifier for 17 Open for prepdig.
- Libero of the Year for Metro East Conference.
- Orlando Sentinel’s All-Area Team Honorable Mention.
- Made Team Florida three times for the USAV All Star Tournament.
- Prep volleyball all-tournament team at Big South in 16 Open.
- Led Winter Park HS to win the Florida 7A State Championship in 2025 as a setter.
- In 2024, led Winter Park to win the Florida 7A State Championship as the libero.
- 2023 Florida 7A State Runner Up (as a DS/Libero).
- Surpassed 1,000 career assists in high school.
- Named FACA All-State Academic.
- Her parents are Brad and Angela, and she has two siblings, Samantha and Jordyn.
Grace Martin | 5-11 | Outside Hitter | Overland Park, Kansas | Saint Thomas Aquinas HS
- Three-time state champion with Saint Thomas Aquinas High School and one-time runner-up.
- Named to the state all-tournament team three times.
- 2025 Eastern Kansas League (EKL) Player of the Year.
- 2025 Evelyn Gates Award winner, which is presented to the top female high school volleyball player in the Kansas City area, as chosen by high school coaches.
- 2025 and 2024 All-State Team.
- EKL First Team in 2024 and 2023.
- AVCA All-Regional Team.
- Ranked No. 32 in Prep Volleyball’s recruit rankings.
- Her parents are Chris and Lacey Martin. Her father played basketball at Kansas and her mother played volleyball at Johnson County Community College.
- She has five siblings: Ava, Sophia, Jude, Henry and Francesca. Her older sister Ava Martin currently plays volleyball at Creighton.
Elle Mottola | 5-11 | Setter | Orlando, Fla. | Boone HS
- Played at Boone High School and club for WPVC.
- Two-time AAU First Team All-American (2023, 2022).
- 2025 AAU 17u Open National Champion.
- USAV 17u Open First Team All-American 2025.
- Triple Crown 17u Elite First Team All-American 2025.
- AAU 17u Open MVP in 2025.
- UA NEXT Camp MVP 2025.
- Played for the National Team Development Program (NTDP) for both indoor and beach volleyball.
- For high school play, she was the 7A District Player of the Year in 2025.
- All-Metro First Team in both 2024 and 2023.
- Principal’s Honor Roll all four years of high school.
- Academic 7A State Champions in 2022.
- Finance magnet student and addition financial head teller.
- Passed the VITA TCE Tax Certification Exam.
- President and founding member of Spikeball Club.
- Her parents are Emily and Chad. Her mother played volleyball at UCF as a setter. Her father was an MLB first-round draft pick for the Cincinnati Reds in 1992 and played for 18 years in the league. He currently is the hitting coach for the Tampa Bay Rays.
- She has one brother, Luke. He is a sophomore on UCF’s baseball team.