TEMPE – The road trip continues for No. 7 Sun Devil Volleyball as the team will play in the Colgate Volleyball Classic this Thursday through Saturday, taking on Colgate, Princeton and Villanova.
How to follow
Thursday’s match against the host team Colgate will be at 4:30 p.m. MST/7:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN+. The remaining two matches will be streamed on YouTube with a single camera: Friday vs. Princeton at 3 p.m. MST/6 p.m. EDT and Saturday vs. Villanova at 11 a.m. MST/2 p.m. EDT.
There will be live stats for all three matches. Updates will be provided on social media on X (@SunDevilVB) and Instagram (@sundevilvolleyball).
Sun Devil outlook
Arizona State (2-1)
- The Sun Devils split their ranked matchups last weekend at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. ASU swept then-No. 14 Minnesota on Friday before falling in straight sets to then-No. 20 USC on Saturday.
- Arizona State made a big jump in the rankings, moving up from No. 12 in the preseason poll to No. 7 in the first week of the AVCA Coaches Poll. This is the 44th-consecutive poll that ASU has been ranked in, all under head coach JJ Van Niel. In 19 of those polls, Arizona State has been ranked in the top 10.
- Freshman setter Elle Mottola was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week for her efforts so far this season. Against Minnesota, she secured her first career double-double, notching 42 assists and 10 digs. She has been running a 5-1 in the first three matches of the season.
- Junior outside hitter Una Vajagic has been an offensive powerhouse for the Sun Devils. She led Arizona State in their victory against No. 14 Minnesota with a career-high 20 kills, making it her 10th-consecutive match reaching double-digit kills. Cumulatively, she makes up 45 of the team’s 129 kills.
- Both Mottola and Vajagic were named to the Big 12 Starting Seven for their efforts this week.
Opponent outlook
Colgate (1-2)
- The Raiders are coming off a 1-2 opening weekend where they were swept by No. 22 Tennessee and Fairfield before taking a five-set victory over Morehead State.
- Last season, Colgate went 18-10 with a 13-3 mark in Patriot League play.
- The Sun Devils are 1-0 against the Raiders, with the only matchup coming in 2012. ASU swept Colgate.
Princeton (0-0)
- The Tigers will play their first matches of the season this weekend at the Colgate Volleyball Classic.
- Princeton went 18-7 in 2025, going 11-3 in Ivy League play. The Tigers won both the regular season title and conference tournament championships and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament. They were swept in the first round by USC.
- This will be the first meeting between Princeton and Arizona State in program history.
Villanova (2-1)
- The Wildcats went 2-1 in their opening weekend of play, falling to Pepperdine before beating Sacramento State and South Dakota State.
- Villanova had a 20-8 record last season and were 11-5 in Big East games. The Wildcats lost to Xavier in the opening round of the Big East Championship, ending their season.
- ASU and Villanova matched up once before, with the Sun Devils sweeping the Wildcats in 2012.
Follow us
Sun Devil Volleyball updates can be found by following @SunDevilVB on X, @sundevilvolleyball on Instagram, Sun Devil Volleyball on Facebook and on sundevils.com.