Arizona State University’s fall sports are enjoying a strong 2025, beginning with the nationally ranked football team (No. 21 entering its game at Utah) and its upward trend.
Sun Devils fans can also feel good about a pair of rising programs – ASU volleyball and hockey. The Sun Devils volleyball team began last week ranked eighth in the nation after a sweep of Utah on Oct. 4. The ASU hockey team, ranked No. 15, lost twice to then-No. 5 Penn State at home last weekend in its first two games of the season, but stayed in the national rankings.
ASU volleyball, 12-2 overall and 3-0 in Big 12 match play entering the week, drew No. 16 Baylor and No. 24 Colorado on Oct. 8 and Oct. 10. The defending Big 12 champion Sun Devils earned a sweep over Utah on Oct. 4, winning each game 25-16.
The Sun Devils held the Utes to a .092 hitting percentage, the sixth match in a row ASU has held its opponents to under .200 and the fourth time this season that Arizona State has kept a team to a hitting percentage below .100.
Arizona State went into the week with a six-match winning streak and had not lost a Big 12 match at home, with 19 conference wins in a row.
Taking care of business at home is a point of focus for the team, outside hitter Bailey Miller said after the win over Utah. The Sun Devils were 28-2 at home under third-year head coach JJ Van Niel going into the Baylor match, and there have been crowds of more than 4,000 at Desert Financial Arena in 2025.
“Just keeping in mind that that’s one of our goals that we set, defending our court,” Miller told the ASU athletics website. “And not that we play harder when we’re here versus away, but just knowing that this is our court and these are our fans, and we have to defend that.
“So we have some big games at home this year, and so I think it’s just another thing to give us motivation to win.”
The Sun Devils, having played six ranked teams by Oct. 12, were 2-2 taking on ranked programs going into their two matches Oct. 8 and 10 against ranked opponents.
“Being steady, one step at a time,” ASU setter Sydney Henry told the ASU athletics website after the Utah win.” We’re not looking too futuristic; we’re just focused on what’s a few feet in front of us.
“That’s the most important thing a successful team can do because looking too far ahead is only going to kill you.”
After a three-match homestand that concluded with Colorado, ASU will play its next three on the road, starting with a rematch against BYU on Oct. 16, followed by a rematch with Utah on Oct. 18 in Salt Lake City, and concluding with a match at Arizona on Oct. 25.
The Sun Devils hockey program is into its second season as a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The team’s 2025-26 season opened with back-to-back losses to No. 5 Penn State at home at Mullett Arena.
ASU is coming off a second-place finish in the NCHC last season. With loftier goals this season after the unprecedented success of the previous campaign, head coach Greg Powers’ team aims to be playing deeper into next year.
The Sun Devils hung tough against the Nittany Lions but lost the lead in back-to-back games after two periods of play. On Oct. 3, ASU led 3-2 going into the third period after scoring three goals in the second, but couldn’t hold it and fell 6-3.
On Oct. 4, ASU led 2-0 through 40 minutes but conceded four unanswered goals in the third period to lose 4-2.
ASU’s power play entered last week at 1 for 12. But Powers said last week that the experience of being in a meaningful game will only help the younger and newer players who saw action on the ice, as the Sun Devils jell and learn from their mistakes.
“The silver lining is that’s as good of a team as you’re going to see all year,” Powers told ASU’s athletics website after the second loss. “On paper, they’re arguably the most talented team in the country. I think that the oddsmakers have them as the favorite to win a national championship, and we had a lead on them going into the third (period) on both nights.
“We can take away that we can clearly play with anybody. But we’re beyond moral victories here.”
The Sun Devils dropped from No. 14 to No. 15 after the Penn State games. They got to stay home for their Ice Breaker Tournament, played Oct. 10 and 11, with participating teams Alaska-Fairbanks, Notre Dame and Quinnipiac.
ASU was set to face Notre Dame on Oct. 10 at Mullett Arena, then either Alaska-Fairbanks or Quinnipiac the following day.
Looking ahead, the Sun Devils travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this week for games at Augustana on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18. Friday’s game is at 5 p.m., and Saturday’s at 4 p.m. Both will be televised live on FOX 10 in Arizona.
Augustana plays in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and began its season Oct. 10 at Minnesota-Duluth.
José M. Romero can be reached at jose.romero@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @RomeroJoseM or Instagram at @romerojosem. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing.
Hockey News