TEMPE – Under first-year head coach JJ Van Niel, the 2023 Sun Devil Volleyball squad has a core group of returning student-athletes and six newcomers to help make the 50th anniversary of the program and the first season for Van Niel a memorable one.
The Sun Devils look to improve on last season when the squad went 13-19 in 2022, finishing in ninth in the Pac-12 with a 7-13 conference mark. The home schedule will see the team play at both Desert Financial Arena and Mullett Arena, starting off in Mullett for the Maroon and Gold Scrimmage on August 19 and the home opening weekend on September 21 and 24.
Of the nine returners, eight have playing experience and six have started in a match. Among the newcomers, three are freshmen and the other three are transfers (a sophomore, junior and fifth-year senior). This preview will highlight each member of the roster within a position breakdown.
Pin Hitters
Three of the returning Sun Devils are pin hitters, led by senior Marta Levinska, who attacks from the right side. Levinska reached 1,000 career kills in the final match of 2022, becoming the 19th Sun Devil to do so. She had 412 kills last year on a .280 clip, her most productive season thus far, and made the All-Pac-12 honorable mention list, her third-straight year earning conference honors. In the offseason the past few years, she has played on the Latvian national team.
The two other returning outside hitters are senior Roberta Rabelo and junior Geli Cyr. In 2022, Cyr played in almost every match, starting in 30. She collected 225 kills and 245 digs, the second-highest dig total by a returning player. Rabelo played in 63 sets and totaled 93 kills.
Shania Cromartie is a transfer junior from Mississippi State, where she spent her first three seasons. She played in almost every match her sophomore and junior years in 2021 and 2022. In her career thus far, she has 525 kills, 436 digs, 30 aces and 48 blocks. She earned AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention in 2021.
Rounding out the group is Jillian Neal, a 6-2 freshman from San Diego. She played for Wave Volleyball Club and led her team to the 2023 USA Volleyball 18 Open National Championship, scoring the championship point. She was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts. In 2022, she was First Team All-Palomar League.
Middle Blockers
There is one returning Sun Devil with…
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