Sun Devil Volleyball Set to Host NCAA Tournament First Rounds in Tempe
The 2025 NCAA Tournament is rolling into Tempe, and the No. 2 seed Arizona State Sun Devils are right at the center of the action. Desert Financial Arena will be the stage for the first two rounds this Thursday and Friday, with ASU opening tournament play against Coppin State at 7 p.m. MST on Thursday, streaming live on ESPN+.
Arizona State (26-3 overall, 17-1 in Big 12 play) earned hosting rights after a dominant regular season that saw them capture their second-straight Big 12 title. That matchup with Coppin State kicks off the evening session, while earlier in the day, No. 7 seed Tennessee faces Utah State at 4:30 p.m.
MST. The winners of those two matchups will square off in the second round on Friday at 6 p.m.
MST, with a spot in the regional semifinals on the line.
From there, the road to Kansas City begins to take shape. Regional semifinals run from December 11-14, with the national semifinals set for December 18 and the championship match on December 21.
What You Need to Know If You're Going
Fans heading to Desert Financial Arena can park for free in Lot 59, while parking structures will charge standard rates. Lower bowl tickets are assigned seating, while the upper bowl is general admission. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
All matches will be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats will be posted online. Fans can follow @SunDevilVB on X and @sundevilvolleyball on Instagram for real-time updates and behind-the-scenes content.
Sun Devils Enter the Tournament on a Tear
This is Arizona State’s third straight NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach JJ Van Niel and the program’s 22nd overall. Last year, the Sun Devils advanced to the second round, and they’ll be looking to go even deeper this time around. Under Van Niel, ASU holds a 3-2 record in NCAA Tournament play.
The Sun Devils didn’t just win the Big 12-they dominated it. In only their second year in the conference, ASU went 17-1 and claimed back-to-back titles, becoming just the fourth current Big 12 volleyball program to win a championship, joining Baylor, Kansas, and Kansas State. It’s also the fifth Big 12 title across all sports for Arizona State since joining the league.
The accolades rolled in as well. Junior opposite Noemie Glover was named Big 12 Player of the Year-the first in program history-and was also selected as an AVCA National Player of the Year semifinalist. Head coach JJ Van Niel secured his third consecutive Big 12 Coach of the Year honor, a testament to the culture and consistency he’s built in Tempe.
ASU placed three players on the All-Big 12 First Team: Glover, senior outside hitter Bailey Miller, and graduate middle blocker Colby Neal. Sophomore libero Faith Frame earned second-team honors, and redshirt freshman pin hitter Kiylah Presley was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team. Presley is the first Sun Devil to make a conference rookie team since Marta Levinska in 2020.
Spotlight on the Stars
Noemie Glover has been the offensive engine all season long. She’s hit double-digit kills in all but one match and dropped a career-high 31 kills in a win at No.
22 Colorado-setting the rally-scoring era record for most kills in a match and tying for ninth all-time in ASU history. She ranks top 50 nationally in both kills per set and points per set, and she brought home a gold medal with the USA U21 team in the Pan American Cup over the summer.
Colby Neal, meanwhile, has been a wall at the net. The graduate middle blocker leads the Big 12 and ranks eighth nationally with 162 blocks this season.
She’s posted five or more blocks in 20 matches and hit nine or more in five of those. Neal was recently drafted 13th overall (fifth in the second round) by the Orlando Valkyries in the 2025 Major League Volleyball Draft.
With 142 block assists this season, she now ranks second in program history for a single season.
Under Van Niel’s leadership, the Sun Devils have gone 14-0 at home this season and 32-4 at Desert Financial Arena over the past three years. This marks the second straight year ASU has gone undefeated at home during the regular season-something they hadn’t done since the program's debut season in 1973.
Scouting the Opponents
Coppin State (23-11, 13-1 MEAC)
The Eagles earned their NCAA bid by winning the MEAC Tournament and are making their second tournament appearance in three years. This will be the first-ever meeting between ASU and Coppin State.
No. 7 Tennessee (20-7, 10-5 SEC)
The Volunteers come in ranked No. 18 in the AVCA Coaches Poll and are making their fifth consecutive NCAA appearance under head coach Eve Rackham Watt. They reached the SEC Tournament semifinals before falling to Kentucky.
Tennessee has a 17-19 all-time record in NCAA play and is 13-7 in first-round matchups. The all-time series between ASU and Tennessee is tied at 2-2, with their last meeting coming in 2003.
Utah State (23-7, 18-0 MWC)
The Aggies are riding high after a perfect 18-0 run through the Mountain West and a conference tournament title.
They’re just the second team in MWC history to go undefeated in league play and win the tournament. This is their seventh NCAA appearance, and they’re 2-6 all-time in the tournament.
ASU leads the all-time series 7-3, with the last meeting in 2017 resulting in a Sun Devil sweep.
Final Word
Arizona State has all the ingredients for a deep tournament run: a dominant front line, elite coaching, and a home crowd that hasn’t seen them lose all year. With a No. 2 seed and momentum on their side, the Sun Devils are in prime position to make noise on the national stage.
But first, they’ll need to take care of business in Tempe. It all starts Thursday night.