TEMPE – Under third-year head coach Kristen Glattfelder, Sun Devil Beach Volleyball had a strong year, finishing in the top 15 for the third year in a row.
Team accomplishments
Arizona State went 18-15 against a tough schedule in 2026, finishing ranked No. 12 in the final AVCA Coaches Poll for the third year in a row. Only eight of the 33 duals were against unranked opponents. ASU remains undefeated against unranked teams under Glattfelder. The Sun Devils earned 10 ranked wins, including two against top-10 teams TCU and LMU. At home, Arizona State held a 7-1 record between its two home tournaments.
The Sand Devils started the year off 10-0, which was both the best start to a season and longest winning streak in program history. Within that winning streak, Arizona State had wins over defending champions No. 5 TCU, No. 13 Grand Canyon and two wins over in-state rival Arizona.
Awards and honors
Multiple Sand Devils earned awards for their efforts this season. ASU had two All-Americans, two on the All-Big 12 Team and two pairs that earned Big 12 Pair of the Week.
Redshirt seniors Ava Kirunchyk and Samaya Morin earned AVCA All-America Second Team honors as well as spots on the 2026 All-Big 12 Team. Morin was an All-American for the second year in a row, while Kirunchyk was an All-American for the first time in her career. For both Kirunchyk and Morin, this was their second-straight All-Big 12 Team nod. This is the fourth season in a row Arizona State has had at least one person on an all-conference team. Additionally, this is the third season in a row that ASU has had at least one All-American, upping the total to four.
Kirunchyk and Morin were one of the ASU pairs to win a Big 12 Pair of the Week nod. The other was junior Olivia McElroy and senior Kendall Whitmarsh following the first week of the season. This was the third year in a row that Arizona State has had at least one conference pair of the week honor.
Individual success
Arizona State saw contributions from all across the lineup this season, with 13 on the roster playing in at least one match. Five Sand Devils earned 20 or more wins on the year.
Individually, Kirunchyk led the team in wins with a 22-11 mark. She played just four duals without Morin, teaming up with McElroy to go 2-2. Right behind Kirunchyk in win total were seniors Arden Besecker and McKenna Flaherty, who each had a 21-12 record. The two with 20 wins were junior Kristin Gilmour and Morin.
Kirunchyk and Morin played almost every dual together, all on the top court. They went 20-9, which was the best record for a pair on the team this season. That mark is tied for the fourth-best single season record by a pair in team history. They had 13 wins over pairs from ranked opponents and started the season with a 10-0 record. On March 10, the duo was named the Big 12 Pair of the Week.
Another pair to play almost every dual together was Flaherty and Gilmour, going 19-11 together. Playing mostly on court four, the duo had 14 wins over pairs from ranked teams. Both were new to the team this season after transferring.
Two other pairs that reached double-digit wins together were Bescker and sophomore Zoe Taylor as well as graduate Reagan Hope and senior Daniella Kensinger. Besecker and Taylor played in 24 duals together, going 16-8 mostly on court three. For Hope and Kensinger, they went 12-8, playing primarily on court two. Individually, Kensinger had a 17-16 record while hope was 15-15.
Taylor and McElroy earned 19 wins each individually to aid the team. Taylor teamed up with Besecker and sophomore Layla Williams for most of the year. McElroy started the year with Whitmarsh on court five before pairing with Besecker on court three in the final stretch of the season. Whitmarsh and Williams both played mostly on court five, sharing time there. Whitmarsh went 13-10 and Williams was 7-7.
This season, Besecker, Gilmour, Kirunchyk and McElroy all surpassed 50 career wins. Additionally, Kensinger earned 75 career wins and Morin eclipsed 80 career wins.
Record watch
In the Arizona State record book, this year’s roster made moves. For individual career wins while at ASU, Besecker and Kensinger are tied for seventh with 57. Kirunchyk ended her ASU career with 54 wins, which is 11th. Kirunchyk and Morin have the fourth-most wins for a pair at ASU, earning 28 together over the last two seasons.
In the single season record book, Kirunchyk’s 22 wins are tied for the seventh-most in team history. Tied for 12th are Besecker and Flaherty with 21 wins. Finally for individuals, Gilmour and Morin are tied for 15th with 20. For single season pairs wins, Kirunchyk and Morin are tied for fourth with 20 while Flaherty and Gilmour are tied for seventh with 19.
Next season
The team will bid farewell to seniors Hope, Kirunchyk, Kensinger, Morin and Whitmarsh. However, seniors Besecker, Tori Clement and Flaherty are all returning for a fifth year.
The Sand Devils signed five freshmen to join the program in the fall: Taiah Campbell, Ava Kretschman, Ronni Lavie, Lexi Miles and Kennedy Spaid.
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