TEMPE- The No. 2-seeded Arizona State women's volleyball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, sweeping the Coppin State Eagles in three sets.
With the victory, the Sun Devils improve to 15-0 at home and 4-2 in the NCAA Tournament under head coach and Big 12 Coach of the Year winner JJ Van Niel.
“Ever since we clinched the Big 12, I’ve tried to harp on them, I’ve said it: every single practice, every single match we play is a prep for the tournament, and I was proud that they came out and did this, because we’ve had some lapses this season," Van Niel said postgame.
"We kill a team in the first set, then take our foot off the gas. That was my message today, everything we’re doing tonight is preparing us for tomorrow, so if we have high efforts today, then we will have high effort tomorrow. That's been the theme for a while and it's nice to hear that they repeated that, so maybe they're listening sometimes.”
Throughout the game, the Sun Devils had advantages in kills (38-19) and blocks (11-3), while also limiting the Eagles to a negative hitting percentage of -.082. It was the second-best clip for Arizona State this season and was the ninth time an opponent hit below .100.
Junior opposite and Big 12 Player of the Year winner Noemie Glover and graduate middle blocker Colby Neal contributed positively to the Sun Devils' defense during the win, with a combined 19 kills and three blocks while providing leadership and experience.
“They are always two consistent players on our team and we can always lean on them," said junior middle blocker Ella Lomigora, who finished with nine blocks, one shy of her season high.
"They just came out and they continued doing their job and made it easy for us to keep our system going.”
During the three sets, the Sun Devils won by double digits over the Eagles (25-11 in the first, 25-14 in the second, and 25-12 in the third).
Arizona State began with a positive mindset in the duration of the game and hasn't looked back, ending up with a sweep in the game.
“It was really just staying low, being ready for everything," Sophomore libero Faith Frame said. "We talked about that at the beginning of the game. Effort we can always control, so I think just focusing on going for everything and trying to get everything up.”
Last season, the Sun Devils hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Tempe, defeating New Hampshire in three sets in the first round and falling to Texas A&M in four sets in the second round.
This season, with more experienced players, Arizona State looks to advance to the next round and getting another win in front of their home crowd.
Arizona State will host another home game in the second round, facing the Utah State Aggies, who upset the No. 7 Tennessee Lady Vols in the first round in five sets. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ + at 6 p.m.
“They’re a good team," said senior Outside Hitter Tatum Parrott, who contributed positively for the Sun Devils in the win, recording five blocks, five digs, and a season-high five blocks.
"Anyone can beat anyone in this tournament. We’re going into it with an open mind, we're going to have to play our game. They have some good hitters on that team so we’ll prepare well for them and just play our brand of volleyball.”