In addition to her weekly award, Burgess is on the Big 12 Starting Seven. Two other Sun Devils made that list as well: senior setter Isabella Costantini and junior outside hitter Una Vajagić.

For Burgess, this is her second time on the starting seven but it is her first weekly award. She is the third from Arizona State to win a weekly award this season (also Elle Mottola and Noemie Glover). This also was Vajagić’s second time on the starting seven. Overall, ASU has had eight Big 12 Starting Seven nods.

For the complete list of Big 12 winners, head to the conference website.

Burgess anchored the defense at the net with six blocks in both sweeps and helped Arizona State hold UCF and Houston to a .034 and .033 hitting percentage, respectively. ASU has held opponents to a sub-.100 clip eight times this season. Burgess, who led all players in blocks in both wins, has had 10 matches with at least five blocks this season.

On the offensive side of things in the wins, Costantini paced the offense in a 5-1, helping ASU hit a season-best .433 against UCF. She collected a season-high 39 assists against the Knights, also earning a double-double with 10 digs. In the victory over the Cougars, she set a season high in blocks with four, which ties her career best.

Vajagić earned double-digit kills in both matches with 11 and 15. This season, she’s reached double figures in kills in all but four matches. Against UCF, she hit .474, which was her fourth time hitting at least .400 this year. Her serving was also on another level this weekend, notching four against the Knights to tie her season high. She added three more against the Cougars.

Up next

Arizona State will play at Texas Tech this Friday before returning home two days later on Sunday to host Utah.

Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner

Biancuzzo, a freshman middle blocker, was selected ACCAC Division II Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 25-31.

Biancuzzo was the fourth Pima player to be selected for an ACCAC Player of the Week award this season. Freshman Leah Stoneking (Defensive -twice), sophomore Alexia Hutchens (Salpointe Catholic HS) and freshman Victoria Page were all selected this year.

Biancuzzo finished with 19 kills on 37 attacks (.459) playing in all eight sets as the Aztecs went 1-1, falling to Chandler-Gilbert Community College in four sets but beating No. 21 Glendale Community College in four games. She also had five blocks, seven digs, two assists and two aces.

She played in all 23 matches during the regular season and made appearances in 74 sets. She has 121 kills on 262 attempts (.347 percentage) with 69 blocks, 43 digs, 31 aces and 189.5 points.

The No. 3 seeded Aztecs will play at No. 2 Glendale Community College on Wednesday in the Region I, Division II semifinals. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.

See Biancuzzo’s selection on the ACCAC website:

https://accac.org/news/486542741178681292/accac-volleyball-players-of-the-week-week-11

Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez

Entering their third season in the Big 12, the Gym Devils are set to face off against 11 teams who made it to NCAA Regionals last year. This includes LSU, who made it to the national championship, and Stanford, who made it to the national semifinals.

Before the season begins, Arizona State will give fans the opportunity to get a first look at the new squad as it hosts its annual Maroon and Gold Showcase on December 7 at Desert Financial Arena. This event is free to the public.

The Gym Devils kick off the regular season at home with a quad meet against Rutgers, Air Force and UW-La Crosse on January 8 before heading across the country to compete against LSU on January 15. ASU returns home to kick off Big 12 play against West Virginia on January 22.

A two-week road trip for the Gym Devils begins at Sacramento State on January 31. Then they travel to Fort Worth, Texas to take part in the Metroplex Challenge on February 6. The Metroplex Challenge is an invitational featuring three NCAA quad meets over a two-weekend span. Arizona State will compete in the first of the three meets, going head to head with Clemson, Kentucky and Pitt.

Big 12 play picks back up as Arizona State returns home to host the rivalry meet against Arizona on February 12, followed by a trip to Provo, Utah to compete against BYU on February 19.

To close out February, the Gym Devils host Utah on February 28. Their final meet at home is the following Friday, March 5, against Michigan. The regular season ends on the road for Arizona State as they travel to compete against Denver on March 8, then Stanford on March 14.

The 2027 Big 12 Championships are on March 20 at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. The NCAA Regionals will take place from March 31 to April 4, being hosted by Georgia, Denver, Arkansas and NC State.

2026 season recap
Last season, Arizona State finished 11-8 (2-3 Big 12), continuing its streak of not having a losing season since 2017. The Gym Devils qualified for NCAA Regionals, which ASU hosted, marking the ninth season in a row that the team qualified, dating back to the 2017 season. The team advanced to the second round of the tournament with a score of 195.425 but ultimately finished fourth in the second round after earning a 196.050. ASU will fill the gaps left behind by four graduated Gym Devils, however, the team returns 17 of the 24 routines from Big 12’s.

Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner 

(Tempe, AZ)  After recent weather systems throughout the state of Arizona resulted in cancellation of fall softball games for others, Sun Devil Softball has stepped in to help by announcing the addition on a fall contest against UNLV at 7 p.m. MST on Thursday, Nov. 12 at Farrington Stadium. 

 The contest will come the day after Arizona State’s game against Pima Community College, which was originally scheduled for late October but was moved to Wednesday, Nov. 11 due to weather patterns throughout the day of the contest.

 Through this point of its Fall schedule, ASU and head coach Megan Bartlett have played just one game thus far: a crosstown matchup at GCU on Tuesday, Oct. 27. But the Sun Devils will get in a majority of their fall slate over the course of the upcoming weekend, when Arizona State will play UCLA (12 p.m. MST) and Cal Baptist (3 p.m. MST) at John C. Funk Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, before squaring off against San Diego State (11 a.m. MST) and Long Beach State (1:30 p.m. MST) at SDSU Softball Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 8.

 UP NEXT

Arizona State will return to the dirt at Farrington Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 5, when the Sun Devils play an intersquad Maroon & Gold scrimmage at 6 p.m. MST.

Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Chris Brown

]]> https://520sportstalk.com/2026/11/womens-basketball-opens-2026-27-season-with-impressive-84-41-win-over-jackson-state/ Thu, 05 Nov 2026 05:59:12 +0000 https://520sportstalk.com/?p=39437 (Tempe, AZ)  The second season of the Molly Miller era got off to an outstanding start as the Sun Devil women’s basketball team overwhelmed Jackson State 84-41 on Monday night.

For the Sun Devils, it was their 14th win in as many games in nonconference, regular-season contests under Miller. Last season, the Sun Devils went 13-0 in November and December on their way to the best start in program history (15-0).

The Sun Devils (1-0) quickly shrugged off any opening night jitters – the Tigers (0-1) held leads of 8-0 and 11-2 in the first four-plus minutes of the game – and methodically went about their business.

Most Sun Devil points past five seasons/2022-23 to present

96 vs. Arkansas State (11/8/24)
95 vs. South Dakota (11/27/24)
88 vs. Iowa State at Kansas City (3/6/25)
85 vs. Southeast Missouri State (11/29/25)
85 at BYU (12/22/24)
84 vs. Jackson State (11/2/26)

Despite Jackson State’s early offensive success, ASU posted a defensive performance more fitting for a team playing in January. The 41 points tied the fewest points scored by a 2025-26 Sun Devil opponent and were the fewest since a 72-40 win over Idaho State on Nov. 19, 2023.

How dominant was ASU on both ends of the floor? It outscored the Tigers 82-30 after Heloisa Carrera’s layup got ASU within seven, 11-4, with 5:41 remaining in the opening stanza.

Offensively, Carrera (15 points/12 in the first half) and McKinna Brackens (14 points/12 in the first half) combined for 24 of their 29 points in the first 20 minutes.

Freshman sharpshooter Averie Lower tied for the team high in scoring with 15 points, accounting for five of the team’s 11 makes from beyond the arc. Also scoring in double figures were Deborah Davenport (10 points) and Rashunda Jones (10 points), who scored all of their points in the second half.

Carrera (team-high nine rebounds) and Brackens (eight rebounds) both came close to posting opening night double-doubles. Amaya Williams started her second season as a Sun Devil with a career-high seven boards to go with four assists.

ASU’s 26 assists represented the highest total of helpers under Miller. Jones (six assists) and fellow newcomer Ruby Whitehorn (six assists, eight points) tied for the team lead in assists.

In her Sun Devil debut, Ella Ryan scored eight points. In addition to Lower, Ryan (two), Jones (two), and Davenport (two) also had multiple 3-pointers.

Following Jackson State’s early success, it took less than four minutes for an entire role reversal to occur as Brackens’ layup with 6:15 remaining started a brilliant stretch in which ASU drained seven of its next eight attempts. Carrera (5-5 FGs) and Brackens (2-2 FGs, 1-1 FT) were perfect from the floor during the early game-changing sequence as the duo outscored Jackson State 15-3 to put ASU up 15-11.

The Sun Devils did not trail for the remainder of the game after the fourth of Carrera’s five makes broke an 11-11 tie.

An extraordinary defensive effort by the Sun Devils over the last 15-plus minutes of the half was the other main storyline of the first 20 minutes. After making four of their first nine shots, it took the Tigers 18 attempts to make their next four baskets. ASU stymied Jackson State’s offense both inside and outside the arc. Although the Tigers hit a pair of triples to build their early lead, they went 0-8 the rest of the half.

Carrera (12 points, 6-8 FGs), Brackens (12 points, 6-8 FGs) and Lower (made both of ASU’s 3-pointers in the first half) combined for 30 points to give the Sun Devils a 34-21 lead at the intermission.

ASU outscored the Tigers 50-20 in the second half. The Sun Devils’ point total represented the third time ASU has scored 50 or more points in a half under Miller, while Jackson State’s 20 points established a new low given up by ASU in a half under Miller.

The Sun Devils put on an excellent shooting display in the final 20 minutes, connecting on 58 percent of their attempts (18-31), including 53 percent from long range (9-17).

The Sun Devils will play their second of two home games this week when they host NAU on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Steve Rodriguez

(Tempe, AZ)  Sun Devil Men’s Basketball opened up the 2026-27 season and the Randy Bennettera with a victory, defeating East Tennessee State 75-65 on Monday night.

Arizona State (1-0) picks up their first win of the campaign in Bennett’s debut back in the State he grew up in. The Sun Devil faithful got a glimpse of what is to come from the new era, with the Maroon and Gold comfortably securing their 11th-straight win in a home opener.

The highly-touted transfer class brought in by Bennett and his staff lived up to expectations. The crown jewel of that class, Paulius Murauskas, showed Sun Devil fans what he is capable of by posting a 21-point, 9-rebound effort. His physicality and high IQ allowed him to get to the FT line frequently while simultaneously putting ETSU’s front line in foul trouble. Murauskas was supported by many, highlighted by the performances of fellow transfers Joel Foxwell (15 points, 5 assists) and Dillan Shaw (13 points, 6 rebounds).

Perhaps the biggest key to the game was the contributions from junior center Filip Malesevicout of Serbia, who provided a valuable spark off the bench for Coach Bennett. He was a +19 in 25 minutes, finishing with 12 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Freshman guard JRob Croy also enjoyed a successful debut, chipping in with nine points thanks to three made three-pointers. The Sun Devils controlled the entire contest, leading 37:07 of a possible 40 minutes, including the entire second half.

“Filip Malesevic was a bright spot for us tonight. He brought energy and production off the bench. I was most impressed with his ability to handle the moment and not be overwhelmed in his first action in a real collegiate game. Filip continues to get better every day for us.”

Randy Bennetton Filip Malesevic

Page, a freshman right-side hitter, was selected First Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I, Division II.
She played in all 23 matches and 80 sets during the regular season. She led the team with 207 kills (2.59 per set) and 241.5 points (3.0 per game). She was second on the team with 51 total blocks. Page also had 43 digs and eight aces. She finished with 492 total attacks (.244 avg).

Wesburg, a freshman outside hitter, was also named First Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I, Division II.
She also played in all 23 matches and 80 sets as she posted 192 kills (2.40 per set) on 572 total attacks (.157) with 264 receptions, 108 digs, 33 blocks, 10 aces and 221.0 points (2.8 per set).

Hutchens, a sophomore outside hitter, was chosen Second Team All-ACCAC Conference.
She played in all 23 matches and appeared in 73 sets. Hutchens finished the regular season with 118 kills (1.62 per set), 28 digs, 21 blocks, seven aces, 340 attacks (.215 avg) and 137.0 points (1.9 per set).

The Aztecs will be the No. 3 seed for the Region I, Division II Tournament and will play at No. 2 Glendale Community College in the semifinal round on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.  

See the complete teams on the ACCAC website:

https://accac.org/news/485410931254232955/division-ii-volleyball-postseason-awards

Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez 

Park University Gilbert’s Olli Saksinen won the GSAC Freshman of the Year award and Brody Donovan won GSAC Newcomer of the Year award, as four Buccaneer soccer players were named to the GSAC men’s and women’s all-conference teams: Forward Olli Saksinen, midfielder Anton Aaltonen, goalkeeper Nicklas Lagesen, and defender Bekah Sipinga.

After successful regular seasons that led to double-digit wins and top-four seeds in the GSAC Championships, Park-Gilbert claims multiple of the conference’s major individual awards in men’s soccer for the first time in program history. Despite joining the GSAC just two years ago, Park-Gilbert also became the first school in the GSAC to have multiple men’s soccer Freshman of the Year winners since the award was reinstituted in 2020. Park-Gilbert now has three GSAC Freshman of the Year winners across all sports and seasons.

Saksinen becomes the second Buccaneer men’s soccer player to earn GSAC Freshman of the Year honors, joining Noah Yalu who won the award in 2024; Park’s first year in the conference. The Espoo, Finland native had an impressive 14-goal, three-game winner, and five-assist campaign to start his collegiate career. He scored the third most goals a Park player has ever logged in a season, leading the Buccaneers to a third-place regular season finish. Saksinen’s highlight of the 2026 season was scoring four goals in the Bucs’ 5-1 win at OUAZ on Sept. 16. Olli was also named to the GSAC All-Conference team as one of the seven forwards.

Donovan takes home the Newcomer of the Year award, becoming the first student-athlete in school history to receive the honor. The Gilbert native scored 11 goals and had a team-high five game winners this season, while also adding five assists on the year.

Aaltonen and Lagsen were the other two Buccaneers named to the GSAC men’s soccer all-conference team for the first time in their careers. Lagesen spent four seasons with Park-Gilbert, posting 86 saves, two clean sheets, and a 1.70 goals allowed average in 2026. Aaltonen transferred to Park this season and made immediate impacts in the midfield, co-leading the Bucs in assists this season with seven while adding four goals on the year.

On the women’s side, junior Bekah Sipinga one of the six defensive spots on the women’s all-conference team. Sipinga started in all 18 games this season, logging five goals and two assists while headlining a defense that’s allowed the fifth-least goals in the GSAC. Bekah joins former teammates Lauren Runnion and Alicia Ypina as the three Park women’s soccer players to receive all-conference honors over the past three seasons.

These five student-athletes are key reason for Park-Gilbert’s first GSAC postseason berths in men’s and women’s soccer, as the Buccaneers will host the first round for both sports this week. MSOC will open the week with a match against the sixth-seeded Soka Lions this Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. MST. WSOC will follow up with first-round action as they host the fifth-seeded OUAZ Spirit this Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. MST. Both games will be played on Field 14 at Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona.

Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Garrett Campbell

Notable stats

Arizona State (18-4, 9-2 Big 12) beat Houston (13-9, 6-5 Big 12) for ASU’s sixth win in a row in this series, improving to 7-2 all time.

The Sun Devils held the Cougars to a .033 hitting percentage, the third-lowest of the season. It was the eighth time holding an opponent to a sub-.100 hitting percentage and the second time in a row.

Leading all players in kills was junior outside hitter Una Vajagić with 15. This was her second match in a row in double figures and her 18th time this season. She also had three aces.

The team had 10 blocks today, which was the 11th time this season reaching double figures in that category. Junior middle blocker Zoey Burgess led the blocking effort with six.

Junior libero Faith Frame had 10 digs today, her 14th match this season in double figures in digs.

Pin hitters senior Noemie Glover and sophomore outside Maéva Schalk both had double-digit digs in the win. Schalk led the team with 12 (her second time in double figures in digs), while Glover added 10.

Senior setter Isabella Costantini had 29 assists, four digs and four blocks. The block number matches her career high and is a new season best.

Set one: ASU 25, Houston 19

The Sun Devils and Cougars traded points back and forth, starting the set tied up at six apiece. Houston took a two-point lead, but Arizona State responded with a kill and block from senior middle blocker Ella Lomigora, tying the score at 10-10. By the media timeout, the Cougars had a one-point advantage, but back-to-back kills from Costantini and Vajagić tied the set at 16 all. Following a 4-0 run, the Sun Devils took the lead, 20-17, forcing the Cougars to call their first timeout. ASU continued to build its lead, and a kill from Vajagić brought the Sun Devils to set point. A kill from Schalk won the set, 25-19.

Set two: ASU 25, Houston 10

Houston took an early 3-1 lead, but Arizona State was able to tie it up at 4-4. The Sun Devils then took a five-point lead following an ace from freshman defensive specialist Paige Lehmanand a stuff block from Burgess and Costantini, forcing the Cougars to use a timeout. ASU went on a 6-2 run with kills from Vajagić and Glover, leading 15-6 at the media timeout. An ace from sophomore serving specialist Ella Lewis and a kill from Glover extended the Maroon and Gold’s lead to 19-6. Houston and Arizona State went back and forth with points, and the Sun Devils found themselves at set point following a kill from Schalk. ASU won the second set 25-10 after a successful coach’s challenge overturned the final point.

Set three: ASU 25, Houston 16

To start the third frame, Arizona State took a 4-2 lead with a kill from Lomigora and a pair of kills from Vajagić. The Sun Devils continued to build their lead, 7-4, with a block from Glover and Lomigora, as well as an ace from junior defensive specialist Piper Rama. ASU led 15-9 at the media timeout after a 3-0 run that featured an ace from Vajagić. Coming out of the timeout, Vajagić notched another ace, followed by a kill from Schalk, extending ASU’s lead to 17-9. Following a three-point run from Arizona State, Houston responded with a 4-1 run. However, the Sun Devils’ momentum couldn’t be stopped as a kill from Costantini brought the team within one. A service ace from Lewis secured the set, 25-16.

Up next

The Sun Devils will split away and home next weekend. Arizona State will first travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders on November 6. ASU will then return home on November 8 to host Utah.

Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner

Arizona State surrendered two goals in the opening 4:30 of the contest, a deficit that ultimately proved to be the difference despite the Sun Devils outshooting the Huskies 43-27.

Sophomore defenseman Richard Baran put home his second goal of the season off a feed from freshman defenseman Jonas Woo at 19:10 of the first period to cut the deficit to 2-1. Despite generating 43 shots on goal, the Sun Devils were unable to find the equalizer as St. Cloud State’s goaltender held ASU scoreless through the final two periods.

Woo recorded his eighth assist of the season, moving into a tie for the national lead in assists. Freshman forward Michael Barron collected the secondary assist on Baran’s goal, marking his first career NCAA point.

ASU returns home to host the reigning national champion No. 3 Denver Pioneers in head coach Dave Hakstol‘s first home series behind the bench at Mullett Arena. The series begins Friday, Nov. 6, at 7:00 p.m. MST, with the second game scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8, at noon MST.

Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Danny Sullivan