Sand Devils kickoff season at the Tampa Invitational

(Photo Courtesy: Sun Devil Athletics)

After a forgettable 2023 season, the Arizona State beach volleyball team faced an uncertain offseason, as former head coach Brad Keenan announced he was leaving the program on May 16, 2023.

Luckily for the Devils, the search for a new head coach didn’t last long, as less than three weeks later, Kristen Rohr was named the new head coach. Rohr previously spent eight seasons at the helm of GCU, where she accumulated a 148-71 record. In her time with the Antelopes, she coached six AVCA All-Americans and four AVCA Top Flight pairs, while leading her team to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023.

In just a short time, Rohr is making an impact on her new team. With the transition to an entirely new team and program, one might expect there would be a bit of a rocky patch at the beginning. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case with Rohr.

She has quickly made an impact on her players, including some of the veteran players on the roster. Senior Taryn Ames, who has 41 career wins, is entering her fourth year as a Devil. Across her time in the off-season, Ames has nothing but praise for her new coach.

“She’s awesome,” Ames said. “Definitely a lot of changes, but it’s been so amazing. She’s really come in and given this program her all in such a short amount of time. We just love her so much.”

Ames looks to be paired this season with graduate student Lexi Sweeney, who’s connection with Ames started at the young age of 12. Sweeney, entering her fifth season, is hoping to build off her 41 career wins.

The experienced Ames and Sweeney, as well as seniors Kate Fitzgerald and Ivey Weber, set up to be leaders for a team ripe with youth. The Sand Devils will line up 13 underclassmen this season along with five transfers.

In the preseason AVCA Beach Volleyball Coaches Poll, Arizona State was ranked 18th, behind five other Pac-12 schools.

Ames mentioned that the ultimate goal for the team this season is to make it to the NCAA Tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama in May. Their first step in that direction comes this weekend when the Devils travel to Florida for the Tampa Invitational.

Arizona State will face No. 11 Florida Atlantic, No. 12 Georgia State, No. 17 South Carolina as well as the hosts, Tampa. Both FAU and Georgia State appeared in the NCAA tournament last year, with FAU losing to LSU in the first round, and Georgia State falling to the eventual champions, USC.

While pairings for the weekend are still not set, some pairings at the Maroon and Gold scrimmage on Saturday stood out.

Ames and Sweeney won their matchup in three sets, with freshman Ava Williamson and sophomore Daniella Kensinger taking a set from them. Junior Anya Pemberton and sophomore Arden Besecker also played well together, setting themselves up to possibly be the secondary pair.

With 20 or more matches a season ago for both, the other senior pair in Fitzgerald and Weber will also be a prominent team this weekend. After a 9-11 record in the No. 5 spot a season ago, Fitzgerald looks to jump up to a higher role after 32 career wins.

The Sand Devils officially start their season on Friday, Feb. 28 at 11 a.m. AZT as they take on the Georgia State Panthers. With three ranked teams in the opening weekend, the test will set the stage for their home opener Mar. 1.