(Tempe, AZ) With over 1,750 in attendance, Sun Devil Volleyball played in Mullett Arena for the first time and debuted the 2023 squad at the Maroon and Gold Scrimmage, seeing strong play on both sides of the net.
The roster rotated between Maroon and Gold, almost each student-athlete changing jerseys at some point. There were also two players from the ASU men’s club volleyball team playing in the scrimmage. The Sun Devils played four sets, with Maroon winning three.
This scrimmage saw locals Shannon Shields and Mary Shroll in front of their hometown. For Shroll, it was a return to Tempe after spending her previous years at LMU. The three freshmen Brynn Covell, Jillian Neal and Hokulani Perez had their first experience playing in front of Sun Devil Nation.
Next up for the Sun Devils is the season opener on August 25 at 4 p.m. MST/7 p.m. EDT at Florida Gulf Coast. For fans, season tickets are repriced to early bird pricing for the weekend and single game tickets go on sale next week.
Quotes
Head Coach JJ Van Niel
Thoughts on the day
“It was great to be in Mullett Arena for the first time and to see the stands packed. We saw a lot of great things from the team today. The middles in particular were standouts to our staff; we were impressed with them today. We can’t wait for the season to start next week and to be back in Mullett for our home opener on September 21!”
Graduate Libero Mary Shroll
Thoughts on the day
“I thought today was awesome, it was really fun getting our jerseys on and playing each other. We worked really hard this preseason and it has been an honor to play in Mullet today and to play in front of my family and friends here in Tempe. It’s really such an honor coming back and seeing everybody that’s been so supportive throughout my entire volleyball career, just coming out and cheering for me. My parents have been there for me throughout everything so it’s super awesome to see them in the crowd, I know my mom is very happy”
Stand-out moments
“I think we had some really great rallies. I know the setters were really pushing fast tempo today and there were some really cool connections with our pins. We had a lot of middles running some cool slides and Geli (Cyr) was passing dimes today. It was just really cool again to see all the work we’ve put in throughout this entire preseason come to fruition.”
Graduate Setter Shannon Shields
General thoughts on the day
“I thought it was super fun, the crowd was amazing and filled with so many ASU fans. I love that we switch it up every set so I get to play with every single one of my teammates. It was really fun, I loved it. It was amazing to be in Mullett for the first time. I’m so grateful we get to be in this arena and Desert Financial Arena and share that time.”
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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