History, in rivalry fashion.
On Thursday night, Arizona State volleyball defeated the Arizona Wildcats, 3-1 (26-24, 25-14, 23-25, 25-16), to move to 14-3 on the season with a 5-1 Big 12 record.
It was not only ASU's seventh straight win over their rival from down south, but it was head volleyball coach JJ Van Niel's 100th win of his ASU tenure.
Van Niel Stands Alone
Since taking the job in December 2022, JJ Van Niel has brought ASU volleyball to new heights.
On top of his back-to-back Big 12 titles, the first two conference championships in the history of the program, Van Niel's 100 wins make him the fastest coach to ever reach the milestone, doing so in less than four complete seasons.
In terms of all-time wins at ASU...
1. 216 Wins Patti Snyder-Park (14 seasons)
2. 126 Wins Jason Watson (eight seasons)
3. 117 Wins Debbie Brown (six seasons)
4. 100 Wins JJ Van Niel (in the middle of his fourth season)
This means Van Niel is on pace to break the all-time ASU wins record around the end of his eighth season or beginning of his ninth, six-to-five seasons quicker than 1989-2002's Patti Snyder-Park.
Van Niel will likely creep up on the third spot by the end of this season, likely to slide into second place next year.
What Coach Had To Say...
“What a crowd. It was loud, it was a lot of fun. They did a good job for our team. I think we weren't playing quite as clean as we have been, and to still be able to find a way to win was great, especially after that third set. It was a little bit of a letdown, but we came back strong. We got back to our tough serving, and we got them in trouble and defended really well. So I'm proud of them.”
Looking to Make More History
In four seasons, Van Niel's resume speaks for itself:
2023 PAC-12 Coach of the Year
2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year
2025 Big 12 Coach of the Year
Three NCAA Tournament Appearances
Two Big 12 Conference Titles
Two NCAA Sweet Sixteen Appearances
100-17 Record at ASU
Next up, another milestone: looking for ASU's first Final Four appearance in program history, and perhaps even more than that.
Arizona State has flamed out in NCAA Tournament play the last three seasons, but wins against No. 2 Texas and No. 8 Stanford may show that this year could be the year for a deeper run.
To get there, the Devils will need to lock down a third straight Big 12 title. The trek for a three-peat continues on Oct. 18, when ASU travels to Lawrence to face No. 17 Kansas.
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