— From WVU Athletics Communications
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia volleyball team opened Big 12 play with a historic victory, rallying past No. 9 Arizona State, 3-2, on Friday evening at Hope Coliseum.
The victory marked several milestones for the Mountaineers, including the highest-ranked win in program history and their first top-10 victory since 2020. WVU (8-3, 1-0 Big 12) also secured its fourth conference-opening win and first since 2021, while handing Arizona State just its third Big 12 loss since joining the conference.
Under head coach Jen Greeny, West Virginia earned its first ranked victory at home in 2025 with a 3-2 win over No. 19 BYU. Friday’s victory marked the second ranked win at home and sixth overall in program history.
The Mountaineers defeated the Sun Devils for the first time in the all-time series, winning by set scores of 25-17, 17-25, 16-25, 26-24 and 15-12. WVU dropped the second and third sets after winning the opener, but responded by taking the fourth set, 26-24, before holding off Arizona State, 15-12, in the decisive fifth set.
West Virginia took control early, hitting .357 in the opening set while holding Arizona State to a .175 hitting percentage. The Mountaineers built an early 8-3 advantage and extended their lead to as many as eight before taking the opening frame, 25-17.
Arizona State (9-3, 0-1) responded by taking the second and third sets to move within one set of the match victory. The Sun Devils hit .241 in the second set and .500 in the third, while WVU was held to .032 hitting in the second and .250 in the third.
The Mountaineers answered in the fourth set, hitting .371 with 15 kills on 35 attacks and just two errors. WVU battled through a back-and-forth frame that featured 14 ties before closing out the 26-24 victory. Senior outside hitter Nina Horning delivered a kill to give the Mountaineers set point at 25-24 before senior middle blocker Maddy McGath finished the set with a kill.
WVU carried its momentum into the deciding fifth set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and never relinquishing the advantage. After Arizona State cut the deficit to one, the Mountaineers maintained their lead and eventually secured the 15-12 victory to claim their first Big 12 win of the season.
Senior opposite Trinity Sheridan and Horning led the Mountaineer attack. Sheridan recorded a team-best 18 kills while hitting .395, while Horning added 17 kills on a .455 hitting percentage to go with eight digs and three blocks.
The Mountaineers finished the night hitting .245 as a team, including a .371 clip in the fourth set. WVU also recorded eight blocks, with sophomore outside hitter Anna Barr contributing three and freshman middle blocker Mirjam Karoliine Kask adding five.
Freshman setter Lauren Duncan directed the offense in her first career start with 25 assists, while senior setter Alexis Finnvold added 24 assists as the Mountaineers utilized a two-setter attack. Freshman defensive specialist/libero Reagan Turk anchored WVU’s defensive effort with 34 receptions without an error while recording 23 digs.
West Virginia is now 1-3 all-time against Arizona State, earning its first victory in a series that dates back to 1989. Greeny is now 17-9 against the Sun Devils and 1-2 against ASU head coach JJ Van Niel.