Season Kicks Off For Sand Devils At The Cactus Classic

TEMPE – The 2023 season opens up for the Sun Devil Beach Volleyball team as they travel down south to Tucson to compete in the Cactus Classic tournament on February 24-25. 

Schedule and How to Follow

On Friday, the Sand Devils look to get their first dub against Oregon at 9 a.m. MST, and their second game of the day will be at 12 p.m. MST against Boise State. On the second day of the tournament, the Sand Devils compete against Colorado Mesa at 9 a.m. MST, their last match of the tournament will be at 1 p.m. MST against UTEP. 

Live scoring will be available. Fans can follow along on Twitter and Instagram (@SunDevilBeachVB) for updates.

Sun Devil Outlook

• The Sand Devils are looking to build on last season where they had 17 wins, the second-highest in program history. 
• Senior Lexi Sweeney and junior Kate Fitzgerald are two of the 14 returners to continue their legacy as Sand Devils. Sweeney has been playing on court one since her sophomore season and Fitzgerald was the individual wins leader in 2022. 
• Five freshmen are coming aboard in hopes of making an impact for the team.
• In the record book, Sweeney and fellow senior Sarah Waters look to continue to move up the record book for career individual wins. Sweeney is currently at No. 11 with 30 and Waters is right behind her with 29 at No. 12. 

Opponent Outlook

Oregon

• In 2022, the Ducks went 14-18, their best win coming in a 4-1 victory over No. 17 Arizona.
• The last time ASU faced Oregon, the Sun Devils came away with the 3-2 win. The duo of Fitzgerald and Wickley clinched the win on court four. Arizona State leads 3-0 over Oregon in the all-time series.

Boise State

• The Broncos had an impressive 20-9 season in 2022, which was the best record in program history.
• The all-time series between the Sand Devils and Broncos has been competitive, with ASU currently leading 6-4. The teams played twice last year, with Boise State winning the first and Arizona State taking the second.

Colorado Mesa

• The Maveriks compiled a 16-10 record last season, ending the year on a three-game win streak.
• The Sun Devils are undefeated all-time against Colorado Mesa, a perfect 5-0. In 2022, ASU won the matchup 4-1.

UTEP

• This is the inaugural season for the Miners’ beach volleyball program. Of the 14 on the roster, eight are part of the indoor…