TEMPE – No. 12 Sun Devil Volleyball is back on the road this week to close out nonconference play, heading to the SLO Classic, hosted by Cal Poly, to take on No. 8 Stanford and the host team on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
How to follow
Thursday’s match against Stanford will be at 2:30 p.m. MST/PDT on ESPN+. The final nonconference match is on Friday against Cal Poly at 7 p.m. MST/PDT, also on ESPN+.
There will be live stats for both matches. Updates will be provided on social media on X (@SunDevilVB) and Instagram (@sundevilvolleyball).
Sun Devil outlook
No. 12 Arizona State (7-2)
- Last week, ASU was home for the Snyder-Park Classic. The team went 2-1, earning wins over No. 24 Oregon and San Diego.
- The Sun Devils lead the Big 12 in total aces with 59. The serving effort is led by junior defensive specialist Piper Rama, who has 18 on the year, eight more than the next Sun Devil. Rama is in the top 40 nationally for both aces and aces per set (.58).
- The dynamic duo of senior opposite Noemie Glover and senior outside hitter Una Vajagic lead the team in kills. Both have eclipsed 100 on the year, with Glover leading the way with 112 and Vajagic right behind her with 109.
- The blocking effort has been strong so far this season, notching double-digit blocks in three of the last four matches (four overall). Nationally, ASU is 12th in blocks per set with 2.81.
- The offense has been primarily run by freshman setter Elle Mottola. She has two double-doubles so far and her personal best in assists is 42.
Opponent outlook
No. 8 Stanford (5-2)
- The Cardinal has had a tough nonconference schedule, facing four top-20 teams and winning two of them. Last week, Stanford fell to ranked teams Texas A&M and Penn State before closing out the weekend with a win over Ohio.
- ASU trails the all-time series against former Pac-12 opponent Stanford, 8-79. However, in the last season the teams were in the same conference in 2023, the Sun Devils upset the No. 3 Cardinal in Tempe in straight sets. The teams met two other times in 2023, with Stanford taking both of those, including a matchup in the NCAA Sweet 16.
Cal Poly (4-3)
- Last week, the Mustangs split their matches at the Indiana Invitational, falling to the host team before beating beating Eastern Illinois.
- ASU and Cal Poly have met just six times throughout their histories, most recently in 2021, which Arizona State won in a sweep. The Sun Devils have a four-match winning streak against the Mustangs.
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.