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Childhood teammates Mottola and Lehman continue their journey with Sun Devil Volleyball

Freshmen Elle Mottola and Paige Lehman grew up playing volleyball together in Florida. Now, the best friends and roommates are continuing their journey at Arizona State while embracing Sun Devil Volleyball’s championship culture of connection.

Childhood teammates Mottola and Lehman continue their journey with Sun Devil VolleyballChildhood teammates Mottola and Lehman continue their journey with Sun Devil Volleyball

“It’s really cool looking back at photos of Paige and me at 9 or 10 years old with our little medals,” Mottola said.

by Meredith Cunningham

Successful teams often build their strongest bonds away from competition. Chemistry matters on the court, but when teammates genuinely care for and support one another, that connection can become the foundation for lasting success.

That has certainly been the case for Sun Devil Volleyball. The back-to-back Big 12 Champions are more than talented teammates. They are close friends who remain connected to the program long after graduation, often returning to visit or even joining the coaching staff.

Freshmen Elle Mottola and Paige Lehman are the latest Sun Devils to embody that culture.

The pair grew up together in the Orlando area and began playing on the same team in Winter Park at age 9. Their families became close, and their parents coached together. Mottola and Lehman spent tournaments making lifetime memories by running through hotels, staring blankly at strangers through glass elevators and making funny TikTok videos.

Now, they are teammates and roommates at Arizona State, although that was never part of their plan.

Elle and Paige 1

Mottola had already committed to Arizona State when she persuaded Lehman to attend an ASU camp with her.

“I dragged Paige to a camp with me,” Mottola said. “I was like, ‘I have nobody to come with me. Can you?’ She was like, ‘Sure,’ and when she came, she fell in love with it too.”

Lehman, however, had only agreed to a vacation.

“My dad actually signed me up without my knowledge,” Lehman said. “I wasn’t even planning on going to the camp. I just wanted to go hiking.”

As fate would have it, Lehman caught the attention of Head Coach JJ Van Niel and Associate Head Coach Preslie Anderson at the camp she had not planned to attend.

“They were like, ‘Who is this girl?’” Mottola said. “She was full of energy and just excited to be here. She is full of jokes, always has a smile on her face, and she can play anywhere, anytime.”

Mottola tried not to influence her friend’s decision. She told Lehman she would support her regardless of where she chose to play. Privately, however, she hoped their time together on the court was not over.

Lehman followed Mottola’s commitment to Arizona State a year later.

“I was able to come here and play four more years with my best friend,” Lehman said. “How could I not take that offer?”

“I literally shed tears when she committed,” Mottola said.

Making the move together
For Lehman, the culture of closeness at Arizona State feels familiar.

“For years, we weren’t the biggest, and we were beating all these teams just because we loved each other and were a whole family,” Lehman said. “That’s what I was looking for in a program, and that’s what I’ve been able to find here.”

Still, Lehman had spent most of her volleyball career surrounded by the same core group of teammates. Having Mottola beside her has made the transition to a new program on the other side of the country easier.

“It’s a piece of home brought here with me,” Lehman said. “Coming into this new environment was definitely hard, but it made it so much easier that she was here.”

Mottola finds that same comfort in Lehman. When the stage feels bigger and the nerves begin to build, she can look across the court and see someone who has shared those moments with her for years.

“I can hold her hand or look at Paige, and it’s like, ‘OK, this is a familiar face. I know what I’m doing,” Mottola said. “It’s just everyday stuff.”

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Paige Lehman high fives the crowd

Expanding their circle
The trust and connection that helped Mottola and Lehman’s childhood teams succeed are the same qualities they have found within Sun Devil Volleyball.

“Everyone trusts each other, and everyone wants to win the game because of the people next to them,” Lehman said. “Having that love and friendship for the people around you makes you want to play 10 times harder.”

Their friendship provides a familiar sense of comfort, but the culture surrounding them has encouraged both freshmen to build that same level of trust throughout the roster.

“We’ve known each other for so long, but it’s not like we only rely on each other,” Lehman said. “We know we can hang out with anyone and have a one-on-one with anyone. At the end of the day, it’s always me and Elle coming back home and being in our apartment together.”

A dream come true
Elle and Paige.jpegAfter years of tournaments, hotel adventures and countless matches together, Mottola and Lehman are once again standing on the same side of the net. This time, they are competing together on one of college volleyball’s biggest stages.

“It’s really cool looking back at photos of Paige and me at 9 or 10 years old with our little medals,” Mottola said. “Now, it’s like, ‘Wait, we’re about to play Texas in the first collegiate game of our careers.’ It’s what we’ve been dreaming of since we were little.”

Their shared journey to Arizona State may not have been planned, but Mottola could not imagine a better outcome.

“It came out of nowhere,” she said. “It worked out perfectly. It’s a dream come true.”