(Milwaukee, WI) No. 12 Sun Devil Volleyball defeated No. 2 Texas with a 3-1 victory (25-17, 25-17, 19-25, 25-18) on Saturday night to kick-start the 2026 season in Fiserv Forum at Jeep AVCA First Serve.
Notable stats
Arizona State (1-0) upset Texas (0-1), giving ASU its second win over the No. 2-ranked team in the last two seasons. In 2025, Arizona State beat Penn State in the second match of the year.
Sun Devil head coach JJ Van Niel improved to 4-0 in season openers. For the program, this is 16 seasons in a row winning the first match of the year.
Van Niel also improved to 4-3 against top-five teams in his head coaching career.
The defense came to play for ASU as the team held Texas to a .065 clip. The Sun Devils had 13 blocks and out-dug the Longhorns 57 to 40.
Freshman setter Elle Mottola made a splash in her collegiate debut, earning the AVCA MVP of the Match. Running a 5-1, she had 31 assists, seven digs, four blocks and four kills in the winning effort.
It was a balanced effort in the win as three Sun Devils had double-digit kills and two had double-digit digs.
Senior opposite Noemie Glover led all players with 13 kills, adding 10 digs (ties personal best) and seven blocks. This was the third double-double of her career, second with kills and digs. She also reached double figures in kills for the 22nd match in a row, dating back to last season.
In their Sun Devil debuts, outside hitters Una Vajagić and Maéva Schalk had 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Both also neared double-doubles, with Vajagić notching nine digs and Schalk adding eight. For Vajagić, this was her eighth match in a row reaching double-digit kills, dating back to last year.
Junior libero Faith Frame led the team in digs with 15. It was her seventh match in a row notching double figures, dating back to last year.
Both middle blockers tallied up the blocks. Senior Ella Lomigora had a match-high eight blocks, while junior Zoey Burgess added five.
Set one: ASU 25, Texas 17
To start the first set of the season, the Sun Devils and Longhorns passed points back and forth until Arizona State went on a 3-0 run with an ace from junior Piper Rama. Texas tied the set at 10 apiece, but a 7-0 run from ASU, with kills from Glover and Vajagić and an ace from Schalk, gave the Maroon and Gold a 17-10 lead. The Longhorns responded with a few points of their own, but back-to-back kills from Glover and Schalk pushed Texas to use its first timeout at 22-16. Another kill from Glover put the Sun Devils at set point, and an error from the Longhorns ended the first set 25-17.
Set two: ASU 25, Texas 17
More back and forth play started the second frame, with both teams being tied at 6-6. A 4-0 run, with a kill and an ace from Mottola, caused the Longhorns to use their first timeout early. Coming out of the timeout, Texas went on a three-point run, cutting ASU’s lead to one. A Longhorn error and a kill from Vajagić extended the Sun Devils’ lead to 12-9. The teams continued to swap points, but going into a media timeout, Arizona State led 15-11. Kills from Schalk and Vajagić brought ASU up 19-13, making Texas call its final timeout. Another kill from Schalk, assisted by Frame, brought ASU within one, and a kill from Glover sealed the set, 25-17.
Set three: Texas 25, ASU 19
The Longhorns opened set three with a 4-0 run, but a block from Glover and Lomigora slowed Texas’ momentum. Texas added to its lead to make it 14-8, forcing ASU to take its first timeout of the game. Two errors from the Longhorns brought the Sun Devils within four, but a 4-0 run from Texas extended its lead to 18-10. Despite putting up three-consecutive points and causing Texas to use a timeout, the Maroon and Gold fell short, losing the set 25-19.
Set four: ASU 25, Texas 18
Arizona State started off the fourth set hot, leading 5-2 out the gate. With a 4-0 run that featured another ace from Rama and a 5-0 run with consecutive kills from Glover, the Sun Devils found themselves leading 15-6 heading into a media timeout. A pair of two-point runs extended ASU’s lead 19-8, but a three-point run from Texas slowed the momentum. After a block from Mottola and Burgess, the Longhorns scored another three points in a row, cutting the Sun Devils’ lead to 21-15. But even after earning two points at match point, Texas couldn’t catch up and Arizona State secured its first win of the season off a Longhorn serving error, winning the set 25-18.
Up next
The Sun Devils will take on two more ranked teams next weekend (August 28 and 29) at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase in Sioux Falls, SD.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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