(Tempe, AZ) Under first-year head coach JJ Van Niel, the 2023 Sun Devil Volleyball squad has a core group of returning student-athletes and six newcomers to help make the 50th anniversary of the program and the first season for Van Niel a memorable one.
The Sun Devils look to improve on last season when the squad went 13-19 in 2022, finishing in ninth in the Pac-12 with a 7-13 conference mark. The home schedule will see the team play at both Desert Financial Arena and Mullett Arena, starting off in Mullett for the Maroon and Gold Scrimmage on August 19 and the home opening weekend on September 21 and 24.
Of the nine returners, eight have playing experience and six have started in a match. Among the newcomers, three are freshmen and the other three are transfers (a sophomore, junior and fifth-year senior). This preview will highlight each member of the roster within a position breakdown.
Pin Hitters
Three of the returning Sun Devils are pin hitters, led by senior Marta Levinska, who attacks from the right side. Levinska reached 1,000 career kills in the final match of 2022, becoming the 19th Sun Devil to do so. She had 412 kills last year on a .280 clip, her most productive season thus far, and made the All-Pac-12 honorable mention list, her third-straight year earning conference honors. In the offseason the past few years, she has played on the Latvian national team.
The two other returning outside hitters are senior Roberta Rabelo and junior Geli Cyr. In 2022, Cyr played in almost every match, starting in 30. She collected 225 kills and 245 digs, the second-highest dig total by a returning player. Rabelo played in 63 sets and totaled 93 kills.
Shania Cromartie is a transfer junior from Mississippi State, where she spent her first three seasons. She played in almost every match her sophomore and junior years in 2021 and 2022. In her career thus far, she has 525 kills, 436 digs, 30 aces and 48 blocks. She earned AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention in 2021.
Rounding out the group is Jillian Neal, a 6-2 freshman from San Diego. She played for Wave Volleyball Club and led her team to the 2023 USA Volleyball 18 Open National Championship, scoring the championship point. She was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts. In 2022, she was First Team All-Palomar League.
Middle Blockers
There is one returning Sun Devil with playing time in the middle and it’s senior Claire Jeter, who has started at middle for two seasons now. Last year, she had 162 kills and a team-high 100 blocks. She has led the team in total blocks in each of the last two seasons. Her 23 aces last season is the highest returning total.
Two other returners have yet to see time as a middle blocker. Graduate student Maddie McLaughlin is a former outside hitter for the squad, playing in 29 sets last season. Sophomore Olivia Johnson did not play last season.
The lone newcomer in the middle is Hokulani Perez, a 6-0 freshman from Honolulu, Hawai’i. She played club for Spike and Serve. For her efforts in her senior season, she was named to Ali OIA’s Eastern Division 2022 Second Team.
Setters
Fifth-year senior Shannon Shields is the lone returning setter on the squad. She split duties at setter in 2022, leading the team with 653 assists. In her career, she has over 1,300 assists and has notched 40+ assists five times.
Brynn Covell is a freshman from Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated early to start at Texas A&M in the spring of 2023 and transferred following the spring season. Before college, she was ranked No. 97 nationally in the class of 2023 by Prep Volleyball and made the 2023 Junior Volleyball Association All-National Team.
Liberos
The defensive specialist crew is deep with four Sun Devils all with collegiate experience. The two returning student-athletes are Meadow Cooper and Jaden Ravnsborg. Ravnsborg split time at libero in 2022, notching 256 digs, the second-highest on the team and the highest returning number. Cooper played in 59 sets, collecting 30 digs.
The two newcomers are both transfers. Mary Shroll, a fifth-year grad transfer from Loyola Marymount, played for the Lions for four years, helping the team to the NCAA Tournament last season. In each of the last three seasons, she saw significant playing time as libero or defensive specialist. In her career, she has 884 digs, 223 assists and 64 aces. She also is a local athlete, originally from Tempe and attended Corona Del Sol High School.
Lastly, Estella Zatechka, a transfer sophomore from Missouri, joins the team with one year of experience under her belt. In 2022, she played in 18 matches, starting in five. She tallied 70 digs total and five aces. Prior to Mizzou, she was the top libero recruit in Nebraska, per PrepVolleyball. She was the No. 131 overall recruit in the class of 2022 rankings on PrepVolleyball.
Up Next
The Maroon and Gold Scrimmage will be held on August 19 at 1 p.m. MST in Mullett Arena. It will be free to the public and will give fans a first glance at not only the new team, but it also will be the first time a volleyball event is held in Mullett Arena.
Press Release Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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