TEMPE – After three successful seasons with Sun Devil Volleyball, Preslie Anderson has been promoted to associate head coach from assistant coach.
"Preslie Anderson has been instrumental in building the culture and direction of our program," said head coach JJ Van Niel. "She is an exceptional connector with our players, our staff and recruits, and she brings an elite presence to the practice gym every single day. As an Arizona native, her love for Arizona State and passion for her hometown runs deep, and that pride shows in how she represents our program. Promoting her to associate head coach is a natural step and one that makes our program stronger.”
Anderson was hired on January 4, 2023, marking Head Coach JJ Van Niel’s first hire after he took over the program in late 2022. Since joining the staff, Anderson has helped lead the Sun Devils to back-to-back Big 12 Championships and three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. In those postseason runs, twice the team went to the round of 16. She also was named to the AVCA Thirty Under 30, a program that highlights up-and-coming coaches.
"This promotion means so much to me, not just as a coach, but as someone who grew up in Arizona and understands what it means to wear ‘Sun Devils’ across your chest," Anderson said. "I’m grateful to JJ, our staff and our athletes for allowing me to be part of something truly special. I’m excited to keep building, keep learning, and keep elevating this program."
Within the Arizona State gym, Anderson is primarily responsible for coaching blocking and the middle blockers. In 2025, ASU set a program record for block assists in a single season with 548. The team also led the conference and was ranked in the top 20 in the nation for most of the season for blocks and block assists. During her time in Tempe, the Sun Devils have had two All-American middle blockers: Claire Jeter (2023 and 2024 honorable mention) and Colby Neal (2025 honorable mention). Jeter was also all-conference in 2023 and 2024, alongside fellow 2024 middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede. Neal was an All-Big 12 First Team in 2025.
In Anderson’s first season in 2023, Arizona State went 28-7 during their last season in the Pac-12, where they tied for third in the conference. She helped lead the 2023 team to the NCAA Tournament, their first time since 2015, where ASU won two matches for the first time in program history.
Arizona State won its first conference title after moving to the Big 12 in Anderson’s second season in 2024. The team hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament after earning a No. 3 seed. Anderson helped push the team to their highest winning percentage in team history, .909, after the team went 30-3.
Anderson played a key role in the Sun Devils winning another Big 12 Championship during her third season in 2025, despite an entirely new starting lineup. ASU was undefeated at home and had an overall record of 28-4. The team earned eight ranked wins throughout the season and only dropped one match during conference play, making their record 17-1 for the second season in a row.
Anderson played volleyball in college for Cal (2017-19) and Baylor (2020-21). Prior to college, Anderson attended Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz. Her father, Mike Anderson, was an All-American wrestler for the Sun Devils from 1987-92.