(Tempe, AZ) The 2025 Sun Devil Beach Volleyball team looks to build off of the success from the historic 2024 season, with key starters returning and talented newcomers joining the squad to make some noise for Arizona State and second-year head coach Kristen Glattfelder.
Schedule Outlook
The schedule features two home tournaments and two additional duals in home sand. Arizona State will face 11 of the 15 teams in the 2024 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship (not including ASU, which was in the bracket), including all of the final four (USC, Cal Poly, LSU and UCLA) and reigning champion USC. On the schedule are also 15 teams that were in the final top 20 AVCA Coaches Poll ranking.
The first Big 12 Beach Volleyball Championships will be held at TCU from April 24-25.
Last Season
Led by first-year ASU head coach Kristen Glattfelder (formerly Rohr), Arizona State had a stellar season in 2024. In the final season as a member of the Pac-12, the team went 21-10 (5-5 Pac-12) and made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time, earning a No. 12 seed. The 21 wins tied the ASU record for wins in a season. ASU had raked in 11 ranked wins this season, the previous record was held at three during the 2019 season.
After an incredible season, the awards rolled in for the Sun Devils, making this the most decorated season the program has seen. Arizona State saw its first All-Americans as Daniella Kensinger and Ava Williamsonwere both AVCA Second Team All-Americans. Additionally, Williamson and Arden Besecker were named an AVCA Top Flight pair for Flight 2 after they went 15-3 at the twos for the first half of the year. In her first season at Arizona State, head coach Glattfelder was the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for leading the squad to this historic season. She was the first Sand Devil coach to earn this award.
Returners
Of the 10 starters at the NCAA Championships, the Sand Devils lost just four, bringing back a core group of strong student-athletes. There are eight on the 2025 roster who played significant time in 2024.
The top three courts were successful and consistent for the Sand Devils all season in 2024. Kensinger was on court one all year, starting with Anya Pemberton before Williamson switched from the twos to the ones. Besecker held down court two, first with Williamson before playing with Pemberton.
The leader in individual wins was Williamson with a 24-7 record, which is the third-best single season record in ASU history. With Besecker on court two, she won nine-straight matches together. Individually, Williamson extended the win streak to 11 while Besecker got it up to 12, the top two longest win streaks in ASU history. Besecker’s season record was the second best at 22-7, tied for the sixth best in team history.
Kensinger had a strong year for Arizona State, playing on the top court all season and earning a 19-12 record. Not far behind in wins was Pemberton, who went 17-12 this year, her most productive season in her three years. She ended the year 15th in the ASU record book for career individual wins with 29.
The fours and fives saw a mixture of pairings. The two most consistent on these courts were Ava Haughyand Ava Kirunchyk. Haughy switched between the fours and fives for a 14-14 record in her first season. Kirunchyk played all but one dual at the No. 4 spot, teaming up with Carys Thomas and Haughy. At the Pac-12 Championships, she clinched a big win over Cal to advance ASU to the last day.
Two juniors are returning with solid experience as well. Thomas had an 11-5 record last year between courts four and five. Kendall Whitmarsh went 7-3, mostly on court five.
Newcomers
The Sand Devils have seven new faces this year: four freshmen and three transfers. The transfers bring a lot of experience. Junior Tori Clement comes from Stetson where she played on the top court all of last season. Sophomore Kaydon Meyers played her freshman year at Pepperdine where she earned the WCC Freshman of the Year honor. Lastly, sophomore Olivia McElroy played on the top two courts all year in 2024 at Arizona.
The freshmen are Lucci Alexander, Kastyn Hoffman, Zoe Taylor and Layla Williams. Each bring strong experience from their club days prior to college. Taylor, though a freshman and has not played in a game yet, is a mid-year transfer from LSU, which is where she spent her fall.
Up Next
The team will hold its annual Maroon and Gold Scrimmage on February 15 at 10 a.m. MST at the Sun Devil Beach Volleyball Facility. The season will begin in Hawai’i at the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Classic from February 20-22. Arizona State will face six ranked teams while there, including the defending national champions USC.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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