The Sun Devils rewarded success on Wednesday, locking up volleyball head coach JJ Van Niel to a contract extension that will keep him around through 2029.
Dedicated to the Sun Devils 🫡
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) April 2, 2025
Following two of the most successful seasons in team history, Head Coach @jjvanniel has signed a contract extension to keep him with the program through 2029! 🔱#ForksUp pic.twitter.com/mknmuy4864
Van Niel just completed his second season leading the Sun Devils, but his track record was so strong that athletics director Graham Rossini wanted to lock him up fast.
Van Niel's first season saw Arizona State finish 28-7, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. They won two tourney matches that year, the first time in program history they had won multiple postseason matches. Van Niel was named Pac 12 Coach of the Year as a result.
He upped the ante in 2024, as the Sun Devils finished 30-3, with a sterling 17-1 conference record en route to winning the Big 12. That made Van Niel's program the first one at Arizona State to win a Big 12 conference title. They once again reached the tournament, and Van Niel was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.
It's hard to argue with the results, as Van Niel has elevated the program to unprecedented success immediately. He's already the fastest volleyball coach in school history to reach 50 wins, and the Sun Devils are primed for lasting success under his leadership.
Notably, Van Niel was hired by Rossini, who was the sport administrator for volleyball at the time, prior to becoming the athletics director last year. The rapid success that Van Niel has had offers an indirect endorsement of Rossini, who just made his first hire as athletics director in landing Molly Miller to coach women's basketball, to much fanfare.