Welcome to Sun Devil Debrief, your weekly update of everything in the world of ASU athletics.
Volleyball splits week after upset loss
By Mason Seal
No. 9 ASU began conference play on the road against West Virginia and Cincinnati.
The Mountaineers claimed the first set, and the Sun Devils responded by taking the next two, before West Virginia roared back, taking sets four and five to earn an upset.
Together, junior outside hitter Una Vajagić, graduate outside hitter Aniya Clinton and senior opposite hitter Noemie Glover combined for 54 kills in the loss. Junior libero Faith Frame was flying around the floor defensively, notching 21 digs.
The Sun Devils turned it around in Cincinnati with a 3-1 win over the Bearcats. Glover led the team in both kills (23) and blocks (7), helping ASU tally its first conference win of 2026.
The maroon & gold return to host a four-game homestand starting on Oct. 4 against Iowa State, followed by Colorado, TCU and Arizona. All four teams had winning records in 2025 and hold a 5-2 conference record in 2026.
Soccer's captain leads Sun Devils past Wildcats
By Corrina Lazarin
After opening Big 12 play with a win over the Utes, the Sun Devils lost 0-2 to the Jayhawks.
Continuing through Kansas, the Sun Devils faced the Wildcats, where ASU flipped the score by heading down the yellow brick road with a 2-0 win over Kansas St.
ASU's captain, graduate midfielder Peyton Marcisz, led the Sun Devils off with a goal nine minutes into the game.
Adding on, junior forward Kierra Blundell, assisted by Marcisz, scored again in the 23rd minute. Sophomore goalkeeper Kennedy Zorn's nine saves match the most since Pauline Nelles, who tallied nine last season.
The road trip continues as the Sun Devils face the No. 25 Texas Tech Red Raiders on Friday.
Baseball with 10-0 blowout in fall ball game
By Josh Cooper
Sun Devil baseball opened fall exhibition play at American Family Fields with a 10-0 win over the Naranjeros de Hermosillo. This was ASU's first appearance in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta's 15-year history.
"We got the invite this year to be a part of it, and when they threw that at us, I was like, 'heck yeah, no brainer,'" coach Willie Bloomquist said when asked about competing in the event. "We want to be a part of this and hopefully build this bigger and better every year. Not only for our community, Maryvale here, but for the Mexican community."
The Sun Devils' offense put up 10 runs on 14 hits. Last year's Big 12 Player of the Year, junior outfielder Landon Hairston, picked up right where he left off, doubling in his first at-bat and coming around to score on a two-run double from senior infielder Dominic Smaldino.
ASU led 2-0 heading into the fifth inning, before putting up a five-spot highlighted by RBI singles from Smaldino and sophomore infielders Finn Leach and Brenden Lewis.
Bloomquist used ten pitchers, holding the Naranjeros to three hits and two walks while striking out 11. Eight pitchers recorded at least one strikeout, including three with two apiece.
"I thought our pitchers did an outstanding job of attacking the strike zone," Bloomquist said via Sun Devil Athletics.
Sun Devil baseball returns to the diamond on Oct. 13 in an exhibition game against Chandler-Gilbert Community College at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Triathlon touches down in Spain; Caudillo, Gaffney continue to dominate for cross country
By Brooklyn Smith
ASU triathlon saw eight Sun Devils, both current and former, compete in Pontevedra, Spain, for the 2026 World Triathlon Championship. The competition gave athletes the chance to represent their home countries and territories, from Canada to Puerto Rico to Namibia.
Senior Sidney Clement and Sun Devil triathlon alumna Naomi Ruff took third and fourth place in the U-23 Championship, finishing within 20 seconds of each other. Senior Alex Campbell placed 19th in the same event, while seniors Zoe Mari Adam and Britney Brown took 29th and 34th place.
In the Junior Championship, freshman Brooke Rousselle made a dominant debut as ASU's top performer in the event, finishing in 17th place. Freshmen Kathrin Ritter and Maja Brinkmann placed 43rd and 54th.
Meanwhile, Sun Devil cross country wrapped up its second meet of the season at the Meadows Challenge, with the men's and women's teams led by Cal Poly senior transfers Chris Caudillo and Kelli Gaffney. Caudillo placed 16th in the men's 8k with a time of 23:30.9, while Gaffney placed 20th in the women's 6k, clocking a time of 20:35.8.
Caudillo and Gaffney both joined the program with decorated records from Cal Poly, and Gaffney's Sun Devil debut ended in a first-place finish in the women's 4k at the Dave Murray Invitational in early September.
Under the new leadership of Ryan Vanhoy, director of track and field and cross country, the team's next meet is on Oct. 16 at the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
Edited by Alex Swift, Char O'Neil, Alan Deutschendorf III and Emilio Alvarado.
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