(Tempe, AZ) The 2023 season for Sun Devil Volleyball was arguably the best one in program history. With numerous records broken, two wins in the NCAA Tournament, three All-Americans, and many more milestones, the 50th season of the program is one Arizona State won’t soon forget.
Team Accomplishments
In a historic 2023 season, Arizona State went 28-7 under first-year head coach JJ Van Niel. The Sun Devils reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015, winning two matches for the first time in program history. Arizona State had its second-highest win total in a season in program history with 28, which was the most wins in a season this century. The win percentage of .800 was the best the program has had. To start the season, the Sun Devils went 14-0 (undefeated in non-conference and two conference wins), the third-best start in team history and the best start by a new head coach. ASU has had 20 sweeps this season, the most in program history by five. There have been three different streaks of three-straight sweeps and one streak of seven in a row, the longest in Sun Devil history. Additionally, there were six teams that made the NCAA Tournament on the schedule, with ASU going 5-4 against those teams in the regular season.
The team was ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll for the last 10 weeks of the regular season, reaching as high as No. 15. Van Niel was the second first-year Sun Devil head coach to be ranked 10 or more weeks, joining Debbie Brown in 1983. The Sun Devils finished the year at No. 16 in the rankings, the first time finishing a season ranked since 2014 and the highest final ranking since 1995.
There were a few statistical categories that Arizona State excelled in this season. The serving game was next level with the team earning 243 aces, which is the fourth-most in a season at ASU and most since 1990. In the NCAA rankings, the team was top 10 in both aces and aces per set. There were three Sun Devils with 40 or more aces, the first season an ASU player has had 40-plus aces since 2002. The offensive efficiency was solid for the team all year, ending the season with a .288 clip, the best in a single season at Arizona State. They ranked ninth in the nation in that category.
The Sun Devils finished the Pac-12 in a tie for third with a 14-6 record, the most conference wins in a single season in program history. That was the best finish since tying for second in 1993 in the Pac-10. The team picked up a pair of monumental wins, sweeping both No. 5 Oregon on the road and No. 3 Stanford at home. Both of those teams would advance to the NCAA Regional Finals. This was the first time beating two top-10 teams in the same season since 2010, but it was the first time with two top-10 sweeps in the same year. Arizona State got season sweeps over four teams, one of which was UCLA (in straight sets both times). This was the first season sweep over the Bruins since 1995. Another season sweep came against Utah, both straight-set wins. This was the first against the Utes since 2015.
Home matches were can’t-miss events for the Sun Devils. Playing in half of the matches in Desert Financial Arena and the other half in Mullett Arena for the first time, the team set a program record for average attendance (3,146), which was No. 12 in the nation. The total attendance of 31,458 is also a team record, which was achieved with just 10 home matches. Three home matches ranked in the top 10 in Sun Devil history: September 21 against Arizona in third (4,816), September 24 against Washington in sixth (3,941) and November 17 against Oregon in seventh (3,937). The first two matches were part of the 50th anniversary celebration weekend when numerous alumni from the program’s storied history returned to Tempe.
Awards and Honors
This 2023 squad is the most decorated in program history. The team set single-season program records for most AVCA All-America honors (three), most AVCA All-District nods (five), most Pac-12 postseason awards (six) and most Pac-12 weekly awards (five).
Three Sun Devils earned AVCA All-America honors for their first times in 2023, the first All-Americans the program has seen since 2015. Senior opposite Marta Levinska made the first team the third to earn first-team status. The other two were Tammy Webb (1985, 1986) and Christy Nore (1988). Senior middle blocker Claire Jeter and graduate setter Shannon Shields earned honorable mention nods. This is the first time since 1986 that Arizona State has had more than one All-American and the first time ever that ASU has had three in the same year. Jeter is the third Sun Devil middle blocker to be an All-American, along with Whitney Follette (2015) and Tammy Webb (1985). Shields is the second Sun Devil setter to be an All-American, the first being Regina Stahl in 1986.
In his first season as a head coach and his first year in Tempe, JJ Van Niel earned two coach of the year honors. He was first named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, the first in program history since 1992 and the fourth overall. He also was the AVCA Pacific South Region Coach of the Year, the first in team history.
The Sun Devils were well-represented in the South Pacific Region for AVCA All-District Teams. Along with Levinska, Jeter and Shields, graduate libero Mary Shroll also made the team. It was the first time any of them had been all-region, and it was the first region honor for ASU since 2015.
After the Pac-12 season, many Sun Devils received honors. Levinksa was named to the All-Pac-12 Team, her first time making the team after two years on honorable mention and being on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team in 2020. She is one of three Sun Devils to have earned a conference honor in each season of their career. Additionally, four were on the honorable mention list: junior outside hitter Geli Cyr, Jeter, Shields and Shroll, the first postseason honor for all four of them.
There were a total of six weekly awards earned by the Sun Devils this season: five from the Pac-12 and one national nod. On October 31, Levinska was the AVCA National Player of the Week. Additionally, she earned four Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week nods, the most in a single season in ASU history. She has the most individual weekly awards a Sun Devil has had in a career with six. Shroll earned a weekly award as well, getting a Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Individual Success
Levinska brought the heat from the right side all season. In 33 matches (all but two), she had double-digit kills, which is the most in a single season at Arizona State. She also had 20 or more kills nine times, which is the fourth most in a year at ASU. In her career, she had 93 matches with double-digit kills, good for third-most for a Sun Devil. She hit .348 on the year and led the team in total kills with 571, the fifth-most in a single season at ASU. Also in the ASU record book, she finished her career sixth for career kills with 1,587. Her career high of 30 kills was earned in a win at Cal on October 1 this season. That number is tied for the most in a single match at ASU in the rally-scoring era. At the end of the regular season, Levinska ranked No. 8 in the nation in kills, kills per set, points and points per set. She also was second in the Pac-12 in each of those categories.
In addition to her strong offense, Levinska was a force from the service line. She finished her career in 10th for career aces at ASU with 107. She led the team in aces this season with 44, the most she’s had in a year. This was the first season that a Sun Devil has had 40-plus aces since 2002. Her best service outing was in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against BYU when she had five aces to help the squad to a sweep. Her defense in the back row stacked up as well as she had six double-doubles this season.
Jeter started in all but two matches as a middle blocker for the squad. She led the defense at the net with 130 blocks, the most she’s had in a single season. In 13 matches, she had five or more blocks, including a season-high eight in a win over Cal on October 27. A threat on offense, she was ranked 40th in the nation in hitting percentage at the end of the regular season. She finished the year with a .373 clip to lead the team, the highest hitting percentage by a Sun Devil since 2003. She neared 200 kills on the year with 195. She also was second on the team in aces with 43, the most she has had in a single season.
In her final collegiate season, Shields had her most productive and successful year yet. She ran the offense all season as the setter, starting every match and playing in every set. Her 1,239 assists this season are the 10th-highest single-season total in ASU history and the highest season assist total for a Sun Devil since 2012. In nine matches, she had 40 or more assists, including two with 50 or more. She earned a career-high 54 assists in the win at Cal on October 1. Additionally, she had nine double-doubles this year, a team high.
The starting libero this year, Mary Shroll, made her first year as a Sun Devil memorable. She led the team in total digs with 458. She had double-digit digs in 29 of the 35 matches, including two with 20 or more. In the NCAA Regional Semifinals against Stanford, she notched a season-high 30 digs to lead all players. This season, she was second on the team in total aces with 43.
Handling the offense from the outside were Cyr and Roberta Rabelo this season. Cyr had the best season of her career, playing in every match and collecting 328 kills (second on the team). She also was second on the team in digs with 323. In the first-round sweep against Georgia, she hit .529, which was the second-best clip in an NCAA Tournament for a Sun Devil. Rabelo had the most productive season of her career, as she was third on the team in total kills with 247. She had eight matches with double-digit kills.
Ending her collegiate career on a high note, Maddie McLaughlin started at middle blocker all season after switching from outside hitter in the offseason. She tallied 109 blocks, which was the second-most on the team. She also reached 109 kills on the year, one of six Sun Devils to reach triple digits.
In their first year as Sun Devils, Estella Zatechka and Shania Cromartie made a mark on the team as defensive specialists. In the season opener against FGCU, Zatechka made her Sun Devil debut and started as a defensive specialist. She would go on to play in 25 matches, tallying 87 digs. In the NCAA Regional Semifinals against Stanford, she matched her season high in digs with nine. Cromartie, an outside hitter, made an impact on the court as a defensive specialist, playing in 65 sets and collecting 84 digs. She did play a few times at outside, including when she notched a season-high eight kills on a .350 clip in the win over Little Rock.
A few Sun Devils made an impact as serving specialists. Freshman Jillian Neal saw the most playing time of the three freshmen on the roster, playing in 20 matches. In the win against Cal, she made her collegiate debut in the third set, coming in to serve. She had 16 aces on the year with four of those aces earned against No. 11 Washington State for a career high. Junior Jaden Ravnsborg was another option, playing in 23 matches as a serving and defensive specialist. She had a season-high five digs in the sweep of Utah and tallied a service ace in against Stanford.
Next Season
The Sun Devils lose three starters in Levinska, McLaughlin and Shields. However, Jeter, Rabelo and Shroll will all be returning for their extra year of eligibility. Additionally, three freshmen are signed to the 2024 roster: Bella Faria, Lauryn Johnson and Jadyen Wilgus. One transfer has already been added as well in junior outside hitter Bailey Miller from West Virginia.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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