(Photo: Samantha Farsky/WCSN)
Heading into the 2024 season, No. 13 Arizona State Volleyball (14-2, 3-1 Big 12) had a void to fill at the opposite hitter spot. In a historic 2023 season, ASU relied heavily on All-American Marta Levinska as the team went 28-7. Because of this, how the Sun Devils chose to address the vacancy became a highly monitored situation.
Making the gap less pressing, ASU had three seasoned veteran outside hitters. Senior Geli Cyr and graduate Robert Rabelo both returned to the Sun Devils. The program acquired junior Bailey Miller through the transfer portal as well. Nonetheless, the query of who would start at opposite hitter remained.
In the spring, ASU turned to graduate outside hitter Shania Cromartie. ASU scheduled just two Sunday matches this season, but Sundays were once highly anticipated for Cromartie and her family. Her uncle, Antonio Cromartie, is a former NFL All-Pro. While a different sport, how he approached his sport inspired Cromartie as an athlete.
Coming from a sports family, Cromartie had two in-house volleyball coaches in her two older sisters, Shaunbria and Shamiria. Playing far away from her home of Tallahassee, Florida, Cromartie still applies lessons taught by her sisters to her everyday approach.
“I think their next ball mentality is what I try to take the most,” Cromartie said. “Just always working hard and fighting for every point.”
Cromartie transferred to the Sun Devils in 2023 after three seasons at Mississippi State. After starting three seasons for the Bulldogs, Cromartie had to carve out a role for herself with ASU. Additionally, it’s not often that someone of Cromartie’s height is playing outside hitter.
The outside hitter position doesn’t require considerable height. Nevertheless, Cromartie’s height of 5’9” is noteworthy especially when compared to the ASU liberos, often the shortest position on the court.
For reference, Cromartie is the same height as freshman libero Bella Faria. The remaining three Sun Devil liberos are each 5’8”, tied for shortest on the roster.
Despite this, Cromartie has learned to play bigger than her height. In addition to getting acclimated at her new spot, Cromartie gained physicality in the weight room. This newfound physicality has translated to the court as shown by her 16 blocks this season.
“It all starts in the weight room,” Cromartie said. “Buying into that part really helped me be able to be stronger and faster on the court and just play a taller game.”
In her first season as a Sun Devil, Cromartie was a defensive specialist. She averaged 1.29 digs per set, the highest among ASU non-starters. While showing flashes offensively, namely against Little Rock with eight kills, Cromartie needed to show improvement on offense as more was asked of her in that aspect.
Throughout the offseason, Cromartie’s focus was on preparing herself for an elevated role. Assisting her with the transition was head coach JJ Van Niel. Along with playing a new position, Cromartie was tasked with adapting to ASU’s offense.
“JJ and I worked on the tempo, the sets, and getting me very comfortable to be able to play front row,” Cromartie said. “The spring was a good time for me to learn and grow as an outside hitter.”
Last season was the first with ASU volleyball for both Van Niel and Cromartie. As Cromartie adjusted to a new location, she developed chemistry with her new teammates and coaching staff. Cromartie speaks of the adjustment period from Mississippi State to ASU fondly.
For Cromartie, this period is described as one that came with self-growth. That growth has been attributed to both the staff and her teammates.
“With the coaching that I’ve been getting, I think I’ve grown a lot,” Cromartie said. “The girls pour a lot into you, as well as the coaching staff.”
Going back to Leon High School, Cromartie was coached by highly decorated volleyball coach Angie Strickland. At Mississippi State, she was coached by Julie Darty Dennis when the Bulldogs clinched the NCAA tournament in 2021. Of all the coaches she’s had, however, Cromartie holds Van Niel in the highest regard.
Van Niel is Cromartie’s second head coach at the collegiate level. As they’ve gotten to know each other, Cromartie has never questioned his process. This includes moving her from defensive specialist to opposite hitter.
“He’s the best coach I’ve ever had,” Cromartie said. “I trust all of his decisions.”
Whenever Shania Cromartie dons the Sun Devil jersey, she does it with pride. Not just pride for her school, but also the surname “Cromartie” listed on her upper back. That pride in particular stems from her uncle.
“Watching him when I was younger complete and have a very tough mentality really helped me as an athlete,” Cromartie said. “It’s just a lot of pride.”
