TEMPE – No. 9 Sun Devil Volleyball is on the road for two Big 12 matches this week, facing UCF on Wednesday and Houston on Friday.
How to Follow
Wednesday’s match against the Knights will start at 6 p.m. EST/4 p.m. MST. Friday’s match against the Cougars will begin at 7 p.m. CST/6 p.m. MST. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available via Stat Broadcast. Updates will be provided on social media on X (@SunDevilVB) and Instagram (@sundevilvolleyball).
Sun Devil Outlook
No. 9 Arizona State (22-3, 13-1 Big 12)
- The Sun Devils picked up two wins last week against in-state rival Arizona in Tempe and on the road against No. 22 Colorado. The home match, which set a modern era attendance record for ASU, saw the Sun Devils beat the Cats in four sets. The top-25 matchup at Colorado went to five sets, with ASU coming back in the fifth set to win.
- The block game continues to be strong for Arizona State, totaling 27 blocks in the last two matches. ASU reached a season high of 17 blocks in the win over Arizona. The Sun Devils have had 16 matches with double-digit blocks and have had double-digit blocks in 11 of 14 Big 12 matches.
- Junior opposite Noemie Glover reached a career high 31 kills against Colorado, setting the rally-scoring era record for kills in a match and tying the all-time ASU record for ninth. It was her fourth match in her career with 20-plus kills (all this season). She has had double-digit kills in 14-straight matches this season. Glover is ranked No. 7 in the Big 12 for kills on the season; she currently has 321.
- Graduate middle blocker Colby Neal has been a dominant force defensively for the Sun Devils. Neal has had five matches this year with nine or more blocks; her highest to date is 10 blocks against BYU. She is ranked No. 5 in the ASU record book for block assists in a single season, currently with 117. It already is the most a Sun Devil has had since 2013. Nationally, she is sixth in blocks per set (1.52) and 15th in total blocks (137), which both are first in the Big 12.
Opponent Outlook
UCF (16-10, 7-8 Big 12)
- The Knights had two road matches last week, going 1-1 with a 3-0 loss to Cincinnati and a 3-0 win against West Virginia. At home, the Knights are 9-5.
- This is the third time that UCF has played Arizona State, the first meeting was in 1997. Arizona State leads the series 2-0.
Houston (8-17, 1-13 Big 12)
- The Cougars had two losses last week on the road against Iowa State and Baylor, both in four sets. At home, the Cougars are 5-7.
- Before facing Arizona State, Houston will take on Kansas State at home on Wednesday.
- Arizona State leads the series 5-2, winning the last four matchups in a row.
- Claire Jeter, a middle blocker for Arizona State’s 2021-24 squads, is on Houston’s roster as a graduate assistant.