Arizona State beach volleyball records historic season in 2024
Arizona State beach volleyball did the unthinkable and turned a rebuilding season into the best season in school history.
A coaching change after the 2023 season saw head coach Brad Keenan leaving after seven seasons and brought in former Grand Canyon head coach Kristin Rohr last summer.
While at GCU, Rohr spent eight seasons building a strong program and took the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023.
Rohr admitted her initial plan was to take ASU to the national tournament within her first few years, but once the Sun Devils went 3-0 against the ranked teams at the Tampa Invitational to start the season, her plans were pushed up.
ASU's big run: Local standouts help lead ASU beach volleyball to first NCAA Tournament
The Sun Devils finished with a record breaking 21-10 season that tied for the most wins in Sun Devil history (2019). ASU also had the most ever ranked victories in program history (11) and the best start to a season, going on a 6-0 run to begin the open 2024 season.
ASU then rode that momentum to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship and fell in three sets to No. 5 Cal Poly in the first round.
Rohr was awarded Pac-12 Coach of the Year after her work in the regular season. ASU was in the AVCA National Top 20 for the whole season, with a season high ranking of 11, thanks in part to its undefeated record against unranked opponents. In early March, the Sun Devils beat their highest-ranked opponent in history in then-No. 2 Stanford.
ASU had its first All-Americans as sophomore Daniella Kensinger and freshman Ava Williamson were both AVCA Second Team All-Americans. Additionally, Kensinger was named Pac-12 first team.
What moving to the Big 12 means
The Big 12 is adding beach volleyball starting next season in a lineup that includes ASU, Arizona, TCU, and Utah.
It looks easier on paper to navigate than the Pac-12, which had six schools make the national tournament, but TCU and Arizona are stiff competition.
TCU went 29-8 and made its fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA Championship, where it lost in the first round. In 2023, the Horned Frogs went 37-3 and made their first NCAA Semifinals appearance in program history.
The Wildcats consistently have a solid program and were ranked in the top-20 all season long before finishing 1-2 in the Pac-12 Tournament.
ASU is in a good position for next season with only four graduating, including Taryn Ames, Kate Fitzgerald, Lexi Sweeney, and Ivey Weber. Of the 10 starters at the NCAA Championships, ASU will lose just three. With the addition of incoming freshmen and transfers, ASU will reload for 2025.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU beach volleyball records historic season in 2024
