TEMPE – Sun Devil Volleyball returned from a 12-day trip to Brazil where the team visited São Paolo , Rio de Janeiro and Arraial do Cabo to play international competition and spend time together as a team to build the culture.
Arizona State played in six total matches from May 31 to June 6. The teams that the Sun Devils faced were club teams, mostly U21 teams. ASU dropped a total of two sets across all of the matches, including the extra sets they would play against each team for experience. Everyone on the roster saw playing time, with the three newcomers that joined in May (Piper Rama, Kiylah Presley and Savannah Kjolhede) playing as Sun Devils for the first time.
São Paolo
The team arrived in São Paolo on May 30 and was there until June 3. ASU played club teams from Centro Olímpico, Paineiras, Vôlei São José, and Louveira. The team was able to see the city as well, exploring Parque Ibirapuera at sunset, shopping at a market in town, and seeing the Pride parade in downtown.
Rio de Janeiro
After a bus ride on June 3, the Sun Devils made it to Rio, where they stayed until June 7. They also came back at the end of the trip to fly out of the airport there. The squad had two matches in Rio, first against a team at the Grajau Country Club on a rainy day and second against Fluminense to wrap up the slate of matches on the trip.
ASU had more time for sight seeing while in Rio. The hotel was across the street from Copacabana Beach, which gave the student-athletes many chances to be at the beach, even playing some beach volleyball a handful of times. The team also saw big sites in Rio such as Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue.
Arraial do Cabo
On June 7, Arizona State left Rio and made its way to the beach town of Arraial do Cabo. On the way, the team stopped in Saquarema to visit the Brazil volleyball national team training facilities. In Arraial do Cabo, the squad got plenty of beach time, including a day on a boat that visited other beaches.
A day spent on a boat is a day well spent ??#ForksUp pic.twitter.com/t4o25j2iUP
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) June 8, 2024
Sun Devil Volleyball is set to have another strong season in 2024, the first in the Big 12. Last season, they finished ranked No. 16 after advancing to the Sweet 16, winning two matches in the…
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