Three takeaways: Struggles resurface as No. 9 ASU falls to West Virginia in conference opener

Arizona State traveled to Morgantown to begin its quest for a third consecutive Big 12 Conference championship, but it still battled some heavy inconsistencies with its play. Last weekend, the Sun Devils picked up their fourth Top-25 win of the season, sweeping against No. 8 Stanford, along with a sloppy, hard-fought 3-2 win over Cal Poly.

It seemed like the team had fully shaken off the previous weekend’s upset loss to UC Davis.

Unfortunately for the Sun Devils (9-3, 0-1 Big 12), their faults from that loss resurfaced as they fell in their opening conference game 3-2 to West Virginia (8-3, 1-0 Big 12). The contest was the Mountaineers’ highest-ever ranked win.

Here are three takeaways from the defeat.

Poor Passing Leads to Dry Sun Devil Offense

In their loss to UC Davis, Van Niel stressed that the Sun Devils needed to clean up their ability to receive serves and put their setters in a position near the net. Throughout that match, ASU never found a rhythm offensively, leading to the 3-1 loss.

“We have to pass better,” Van Niel said following that loss. “We were off the net the whole night. You can’t get your middles the ball when you are not passing.”

On Friday afternoon, Van Niel’s criticisms rang true again.

With the Mountaineers leading 19-13 in the first set, ASU needed to try to flip the script. As the serve flew over the net, it took a hard dip to the knees of third-year libero Faith Frame. When Frame bumped the ball, it went straight up in the air near the attack line, forcing first-year setter Elle Mottola to hurry backward to set it.

Mottola’s set ended up low and away from the net, forcing fourth-year outside hitter Una Vajagic to slow down her forceful right-handed swing. The ensuing rally turned into a free ball opportunity for WVU, which it capitalized on with a Maddy McGath kill, making the set score 20-13 and putting it out of reach.

While the original pass was difficult for Frame, given she had to go down to bump it, the ball wound up in a similar spot in all three sets the Sun Devils lost. ASU’s setters were consistently challenged to an extreme level, not allowing the Sun Devils to put together their usual attack.

In the middle two sets, ASU seemed to have figured it out, allowing Vajagic along with fourth-year opposite hitter Noemi Glover and fifth-year outside hitter Aniya Clinton to all finish the match with double-figure kills.

“We passed better,” Van Niel said after the second set. “We didn’t pass very well in that first set.”

However, the final two sets saw ASU fall back into its old habits, leaving it in an upset defeat.

Hitting Errors Cost Sun Devils Late.

In its previous losses, ASU struggled with too many errors. Against then-No. 20 USC, the Sun Devils committed 21 errors. Against UC Davis, they committed 25 errors. Both led to disappointing losses.

In Friday’s match, the Sun Devils had a chance to sneak away with a win.

As the match score sat at 2-1 in favor of ASU, the Sun Devils took a 20-18 lead late in the fourth set. It seemed like the momentum had fully swung in ASU’s direction.

Instead, the next two points would be scored by West Virginia, both via hitting errors by Clinton.

The fifth-year outside hitter added a third hitting error just a few points later, eventually allowing the golden opportunity to slip right through the Sun Devils’ fingers.

Rather than finishing off the Mountaineers in four sets, the Sun Devils backed themselves into a first-to-15 fifth set. In that ensuing set, ASU made seven errors, with Clinton and Vajagic being at the forefront.

When Van Niel’s squad fell short against the Aggies, Vajagic was never able to find an offensive rhythm, as she committed 11 errors on a .024 hitting percentage, something the Sun Devil head coach called “unacceptable”.

Friday proved to be an almost identical story for the fifth-year. Although her hitting percentage improved to a .152, Vajagic was guilty of 10 errors, including multiple in the final set, aiding in the Sun Devils’ defeat.

ASU Fails to Set Up Its Block

Last season, with the help of Colby Neal and Bailey Miller, ASU put together one of the toughest defensive blocks in the country. It averaged 2.832 blocks per set in 2025. So far this season, that number is slightly lower at 2.432 blocks per set, with the team struggling in its two previous losses.

On Friday afternoon, that trend continued, as the Sun Devils managed just five blocks, compared to the Mountaineers’ eight. While the losses to USC and UC Davis felt like the team couldn’t keep up with its opponents’ fast-paced offense, Friday’s loss seemed to be more attributed to missed assignments.

Throughout the match, the Mountaineers heavily relied on fourth-year opposite hitter Trinity Sheridan. Though WVU utilized some misdirection with its offensive movement, it wasn’t at the same speed as either of the teams ASU previously lost to–rather, it relied on the power of Sheridan’s left-handed swing.

The Sun Devils just couldn’t stop it.

All night long, Sheridan’s spikes beat Glover and third-year middle blocker Zoey Burgess to the net. Glover finished the afternoon with just one block assist, while Burgess finished a part of two of the team’s five blocks

As the Sun Devils continue through conference play, cleaning up their errors and returning to their previously signature defensive prowess could be integral to an elusive three-peat. ASU returns to the court on Sunday at 10 a.m. MST in Cincinnati against the Bearcats.