TEMPE – The 2025 NCAA Tournament has landed in Tempe, where No. 2 seed Sun Devil Volleyball is set to host the first two rounds this Thursday and Friday in Desert Financial Arena, facing Coppin State in the first round at 7 p.m. MST on Thursday on ESPN+.
Arizona State (26-3, 17-1 Big 12) will face Coppin State in the first round on Dec. 4. Though the match is scheduled for 7 p.m., the match will start 30 minutes after the first match. The other matchup in the ASU’s bracket is No. 7 seed Tennessee against Utah State at 4:30 p.m. MST on Thursday as well. The winners of both matches will play each other in the second round on Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. MST.
The team that wins will move onto the regional semifinal taking place through Dec. 11-14. The national semifinals will be on December 18, with the national championship on December 21, both in Kansas City.
How to Follow and Fan Information
Parking will be free in lot 59 for fans. Any structure parking will be charged. For tickets, the lower bowl is assigned seating and the upper bowl is general admission. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
The matches will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available as well. Updates will be provided on social media on X (@SunDevilVB) and Instagram (@sundevilvolleyball). More information can be found on the tournament website.
Sun Devil Outlook
No. 2 seed Arizona State(26-3, 17-1 Big 12)
- The Sun Devils are back in the NCAA tournament for the third-consecutive year under third-year head coach JJ Van Niel, the 22nd time overall in program history. Last season, Arizona State advanced to the second round of the tournament after winning in the first round against New Hampshire. The Sun Devils are 12-21 in the NCAA Tournament, 3-2 under Van Niel.
- Arizona State finished the regular season with a 26-3 record, going 17-1 in Big 12 play. In just its second season in the conference, Arizona State won back-to-back Big 12 titles, which is the fifth Big 12 title across all sports for ASU. Arizona State is one of four current volleyball programs in the league to win a Big 12 title (also Baylor, Kansas and Kansas State).
- Sun Devil Volleyball took home a number of Big 12 awards, including Big 12 Player of the Year for junior opposite Noemie Glover and a third-straight conference coach of the year nod for head coach JJ Van Niel. Arizona State has three on the All-Big 12 First Team: Glover, senior outside hitter Bailey Miller and graduate middle blocker Colby Neal. On the second team is sophomore libero Faith Frame, while redshirt freshman pin hitter Kiylah Presley is on the Big 12 All-Rookie Team. Glover is the first Sun Devil to win a conference player of the year award in team history. For Presley, she is the first from ASU to be on a conference rookie/freshman team since Marta Levinska in 2020.
- In three seasons as the head coach at Arizona State, JJ Van Niel has made history. He has led the Sun Devils to back-to-back Big 12 Championships, which are the only two conference titles in team history. Additionally, he has been named the conference coach of the year in each of his three seasons as a head coach and has two AVCA Region Coach of the Year honors. He was the fastest coach in team history to 50 wins and has the top two seasons in team history for winning percentage. Under his tutelage, ASU has had five All-Americans and three players win a major year-end Big 12 awards.
- Junior opposite Noemie Glover has been a dominant force for the Sun Devils this season, earning recognition as an AVCA National Player of the Year Semifinalist. She has reached double-digit kills in all but one match she has played in this season. In the win at No. 22 Colorado, she reached a career high 31 kills, setting the rally-scoring era record for kills in a single match and tying the all-time ASU record for ninth. In the national rankings, she is top 50 in both kills per set and points per set. Over the summer, she played with the USA U21 team in the Pan American Cup, winning a gold medal.
- Leading the charge on the block has been graduate middle blocker Colby Neal. She was drafted to the Orlando Valkyries as the 13th overall pick (fifth in the second round) of the 2025 Major League Volleyball Draft. Neal has been a dominant force defensively for the Sun Devils with a total of 162 blocks on the season, the first in the Big 12 (eighth in the nation). She is ranked second in the ASU record book for block assists in a single season, currently with 142. She has had five or more blocks in 20 matches this season and nine or more blocks in five matches.
- At home, the Sun Devils are 14-0 and 32-4 in JJ Van Niel’s three seasons. This is the second time the Sun Devils went undefeated at home in the regular season since becoming an NCAA sport, the first time was in the 2024 season. The only other time ASU was undefeated at home was the first year of the program in 1973 when they went undefeated all season.
Tournament outlook
Coppin State (23-11, 13-1 MEAC)
- Coppin State finished the regular season 23-11 and went 13-1 against conference opponents. The team earned a bid by winning the MEAC tournament. This is the second NCAA tournament appearance for the Eagles in the last three years.
- This will be the first meeting between ASU and Coppin State.
No. 7 seed Tennessee (20-7, 10-5 SEC)
- The Volunteers, who are No. 18 in the AVCA Coaches Poll, will make their fifth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Eve Rackham Watt. This is their 20th time being selected for the tournament.
- Tennessee finished the regular season with a 20-7 record, 10-5 in conference play. They team made it to the semifinals in the SEC Tournament before falling to No. 2 Kentucky.
- The Lady Vols have a 17-19 record in 19 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and have advanced past the first round three times under coach Wyatt. They hold a 13-7 record all-time in the first round.
- The all-time series between ASU and Tennessee is locked at 2-2. The teams last met in 2003, with the Volunteers winning in five.
Utah State (23-7, 18-0 MWC)
- The Aggies enter the NCAA tournament after winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship. This is their seventh all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a 2-6 record in previous outings. The Aggies last tournament win was in 2001.
- Utah State earned a perfect 18-0 conference record this season, making them the second team in MWC history to go undefeated in conference play and win the conference title.
- ASU leads the all-time series against USU 7-3, with the last matchup being in 2017 when the Sun Devils won in a sweep.