Season Starts in Tampa for #18 Sand Devils - Arizona State University Athletics (2024)

TEMPE – Kicking off the 2024 campaign, No. 18 Sun Devil Beach Volleyball is heading to Florida to play in the Tampa Invite, which will include three ranked matchups.

How to Follow
Arizona State will play four duals this weekend. On Friday, ASU will play No. 12 Georgia State at 11 a.m. MST/ 1 p.m. EST before taking on the host team Tampa at 3 p.m. MST/5 p.m. EST.

On Saturday, Arizona State will start early against No. 17 South Carolina at 6 a.m. MST/8 a.m. EST, wrapping up the tournament with a matchup against No. 11 Florida Atlantic at 10 a.m. MST/12 p.m. EST.

There will be no live stream or live scoring. Fans can follow along on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter), @sundevilbeachvb.

Sun Devil Outlook
No. 18 Arizona State (0-0)

• The Sand Devils are ranked No. 18 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll, the team's first time being ranked since 2021. It is the highest preseason ranking ASU has had, surpassing the one other time being ranked in the preseason poll: No. 20 in 2020.
• Of the four opponents this weekend, three are ranked in the AVCA preseason poll: No. 11 Florida Atlantic, No. 12 Georgia State and No. 17 South Carolina. Only the host team Tampa is not ranked.
• After eight seasons at Grand Canyon, Kristen Rohr made the switch across the Valley to ASU, replacing former head coach Brad Keenan. She led the Lopes to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023 and holds a 148-71 (.676) record as a head coach, all with the Lopes. Rohr was picked by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as the 2022 Collegiate Beach Coach of the Year after leading GCU to its first-ever NCAA Championship appearance in 2022.
• There are 11 Sand Devils returning to the team for the 2024 season. There are three seniors in Kate Fitzgerald, Ivey Weber and Taryn Ames, in addition to graduate Lexi Sweeney. Sweeney was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team, making her the first Sand Devil to earn a conference honor since 2021. All of them played the majority of last season, with Ames leading the team in wins in 2023 with a 14-9 record.
• Five transfers and five freshmen are on the 2024 roster. The transfers are junior Samaya Morin (GCU), sophom*ore Arden Besecker (FSU), sophom*ore Daniella Kensinger (Saint Mary's), junior Ava Kirunchyk (USC) and redshirt-freshman Hayden Huber (TCU).
• Annalyse Askew, Ava Haughy, Elsa Snipes, Ava Williamson and Deanie Woodruff all join the team in their first year of college beach volleyball. Williamson played at the AVCA Fall Pairs Championships with Kensinger.

Opponent Outlook
No. 12 Georgia State (0-0)

• In 2023, the Panthers qualified for the NCAA Tournament and ended the season with a 20-17 record. The team had six wins over ranked teams.
• ASU and Georgia State met last season, with the Panthers winning in a sweep. The Sun Devils trail 0-3 in the all-time series.

Tampa (0-0)

• Last year, the Spartans went 21-13 on the year. The team did not make the tournament, but they did end the year on a three-dual win streak.
• Tampa is the host team this weekend and the only team that is not ranked in the preseason poll.
• This is the first meeting between Tampa and Arizona State in program history.

No. 17 South Carolina (0-0)

• The Gameco*cks are coming off of a 19-12 2023 season, including three wins over ranked opponents.
• Arizona State and South Carolina met last season, with the Gameco*cks winning 4-1. Kate Fitzgerald and Rylie Kael were the lone Sand Devil pair to get a win. South Caroline leads 3-1 in the all-time series.

No. 11 Florida Atlantic (0-0)

• The Owls went to the 2023 NCAA Championship, falling in the first round. The team went 19-14 on the year, winning the auto bid from the Conference USA Championship.
• ASU and FAU have met just once before, with the Sun Devils winning in 2017.