TEMPE, Ariz. – After an attack error by freshman middle blocker Taylor Johnson, Arizona State put the ball in senior setter Isabella Costantini’s hands to serve, with the Sun Devils leading Iowa State 9-6 in the fourth set after dropping set three, 25-22. 

Constantini said she’s practiced for this exact moment. ASU head coach JJ Van Niel said that he recruited her because of her serving ability. 

So in front of a crowd of 3,953, the Sun Devils rattled off eight straight points on Constantini's serve and put the set—and match—out of the Cyclones' reach. 

No. 12 ASU (11-3, 2-1 Big 12) returned home and took care of Iowa State (9-6, 3-1 Big 12) in four sets at Desert Financial Arena on Sunday, Oct. 4. The Sun Devils took the first two sets of the win and fended off the start of a Cyclones comeback to snap ISU’s four-game win streak. 

Since the season opener on Aug. 22, ASU played just three games at home before Sunday, spending five of the six weeks of the season so far on the road.

Van Niel expressed his appreciation for the Sun Devils’ home floor.

“I love playing here, and it was awesome to see how many fans showed up," Van Niel said. "We really feed off that energy.”

The ASU faithful also helped Constantini thrive back at home. 

“Just being around all of the amazing fans and all the energy is just great,” Constantini said. “It's very helpful for sure.”

Junior outside hitter Una Vajagić led the Sun Devils with 18 kills and 12 digs, making up for senior opposite hitter and reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Noemie Glover’s slow night offensively. 

Glover still tallied 13 kills, but only marked one in the first set and tallied zero in the third set. 

Vajagić, though, likes the balanced attack and said it actually opens up different parts of their game. 

“It's really fun to score as many points as we can,” Vajagić said. “It shows that our passing is good and we have a lot of defense too.”

Graduate outside hitter Aniya Clinton also tallied 12 kills, with junior middle blocker Zoey Burgess adding six and senior middle blocker Ella Lomigora tacking on three. 

ASU continued to run their two-setter offense Sunday, leading to a near-perfect balance between the two. Constantini and freshman setter Elle Mottola put up 22 and 21 assists, respectively. 

For Van Niel, he doesn't care who sets the ball as long as the Sun Devils get a point on the board. 

“That's exactly what we want,” Van Niel said.  “I don't think we've had that balanced of an assist number between the two of them since we moved to this kind of five-two formation. It just kind of shows they're doing a good job running our offense.”

While the setters have been a big talking point for the majority of the season, Van Niel credits both Constantini and Mottola for their shared persistence. 

“I think every coach would say if you just have one, it's easier, " Van Niel said. “But it's a testament to both of them how much they're competing.” 

The two setters, who have differing skill sets,  made their way to ASU in very different ways. 

Constantini, the senior, took the JUCO route out of high school before transferring to UT-Rio Grande Valley for the next two years. 

On the other hand, Mottola came into this year as one of only five freshmen on a Sun Devil team trying to compete for a national championship. 

Mottola holds a presence at the net, but Constantini’s serving is her strength. Van Niel said that he likes what he sees out of both of them and uses those different skill sets as an advantage. 

He also believes the rest that the two setters get can benefit both setters in the long run. 

Even though she may not get as many reps as she imagined in the preseason, Constantini and Van Niel are on the same page. 

“Of course, everybody wants to be on the court all the time,” Constantini said. “But it's really good sometimes just to see the game from the outside and whenever it's time to go back in, you have so many insights and things that you can talk to your hitters and passers and just help out.”

Sunday’s game kicks off a pivotal four-game homestand for ASU, which includes a ranked matchup with TCU on Oct. 11 and a Territorial Cup clash with Arizona on Oct. 15.

With two weeks of action in Tempe on the way, Van Niel took one big thing away from the victory. 

“It’s great to be home,” Van Niel said.