TEMPE, Ariz. - Less than 24 hours after winning its first game of the NCAA tournament, Arizona State looked ahead to the Tempe regional, hoping to defeat the demons from just a season ago when it suffered a loss to another Aggie mascot in Texas A&M. 

ASU did just that, avenging the Sun Devils of old on Dec. 5, picking up a four-set win over the Utah State Aggies, 25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15. ASU’s 28th win of the season keeps the team undefeated inside Desert Financial Arena in 2025, to the joy of back-to-back Big 12 Coach of the Year JJ Van Niel and his staff. 

“A really special moment for our program,” Van Niel said. “Really proud of the kids. They came out and played really clean volleyball and the crowds have been great all year.”

After the Tempe regional brought fireworks on Day 1 with Utah State playing a five-set thriller against Tennessee, Day 2 lived up to the hype. 

The match began with back-to-back points for the Aggies, yet the Sun Devils settled in with graduate middle blocker Colby Neal picking up their first point on a powerful slide and a beautiful pass from senior setter Sydney Henry.

Serving became the name of the game for ASU, spotlighted by a run of back-to-back aces for senior outside hitter Bailey Miller, totaling three in the first set. 

Big 12 Player of the Year Noemie Glover also got in on the fun, with the junior opposite side hitter picking up five kills in set one at a 0.556 clip, leading to a Sun Devil 25-15 set one win.

Miller spoke about her excitement heading into Friday’s match. 

“Yesterday I was just really amped up and ready to start the tournament,” Miller said. “Today I was just telling myself I need to relax and just go out and play volleyball.”

For a team known for its defensive prowess, averaging 2.89 blocks per set, the Sun Devils only picked up one in the first set. This led ASU to get it done in other ways, picking up 14 kills as an offense and still forcing five attacking errors.

Miller praised her teammates for their versatility on both sides of the net.  

“I give so much credit to our middles,” Glover said. “They’re such a big threat with their attacks. Then obviously Sydney (Henry) knows who to set and she really reads our passers well and gets us into great positions to score.”

By the time the second set rolled around, both teams eagerly got back on the court, but this time around, the Sun Devils started the set off strong with three straight points. 

The strong play continued to be the trend in set two, with ASU picking up 9 of the first 13 points in the set. With multiple runs of three or more points, the Sun Devils put themselves in position to take set two 25-18, holding off the late rally of Utah State.

“We play so well under pressure,” Miller said. “That’s why we’re able to come back from big leads a lot. All of us are always ready to go when the team needs it, we’re able to perform.”

As both teams got the chance to head back to the locker room before the beginning of set three, it was now the Aggies playing with their season on the line. 

Down two sets to none, Utah State head coach Rob Neilson needed everything from his team, and that is precisely what happened. 

In a gritty set from the start, the Aggies set the pace from the jump, led by sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen, tallying seven kills in the third set. Although Utah State never held a lead larger than three points, it took set three by that exact margin, 25-22.

Glover said losing set three demonstrated the Aggies' true potential.

“They dominated their conference and are an amazing team on the offensive side,” Glover said. “I think throughout our conference, we faced a lot of offensive teams so I think it was a good test for us.”

While some teams would be rattled after dropping a tough set, Van Niel and his squad were far from that. 

After picking up the first two points of set four, ASU never looked back.

The Sun Devils never trailed throughout the entirety of the fourth and final set, with a monster six-point rally late in the match, aided by many Utah State attacking errors, to solidify a match-sealing 25-17 set four win. 

Miller and Glover led the way for ASU, with Glover putting up 17 kills and Miller leading the team with 18 kills and tallying her season-high 0.471 hitting percentage. 

The Sun Devils now look ahead to a date with the third-ranked team in the Kentucky region, the Creighton Blue Jays.

History remains on the line as ASU continues to march onward in the NCAA Tournament to the Sweet 16. Another win, and the Sun Devils enter uncharted territory, as the program has never made it to the Elite Eight or beyond.

However, for Van Neil and the rest of ASU, it is vital they take things one game at a time. 

“We had a game plan from the start,” Van Niel said. “You get whatever you implement in the short turnaround. The next round’s a little better because now we have a week to prepare, but they have a week to prepare for us.”