(Tucson, AZ) It’s déjà vu all over again for Sun Devil Beach Volleyball in the rivalry series. Down 2-0 in the dual after the first flight, Arizona State came back to beat No. 19 Arizona 3-2 at Bear Down Beach in Tucson on Friday afternoon.
Arizona State improves to 11-11 with the win over Arizona (19-10), spoiling the Cats’ senior day. The Sun Devils complete the season sweep over the Wildcats for the first time since 2014 before beach volleyball was an official NCAA sport. It is also the first true road win in Tucson since 2017. ASU beat Arizona at Bear Down Beach last year, but it was at the Pac-12 Championships. With the win, the Sand Devils get the full Territorial Cup point in the series.
ASU dropped the sets on courts two and four to start the dual at Arizona, the latter going to three sets. Then it was rally time. Pairs three and five won their opening sets handily but dropped their second sets to go a third. However, it was the opposite on court one as Lexi Sweeney and Kylie Wickley lost their first set and came back to dominate the second, 21-12.
In the third sets, the dual was on the line. It started with the No. 5 pair of Kate Fitzgeraldand Adriana Nieves Papaleo. They won their third set 15-10 to make it 2-1. The next ASU point came on court three from Rylie Kael and Carys Thomas, who won their third set with the same 15-10 score to tie the dual at 2-2. Finally, the top pair of Sweeney and Wickely cruised to a 15-4 win to clinch the 3-2 victory. That top duo has won four matches in a row.
Final Results (Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 3, 1*)
- Lexi Sweeney/Kylie Wickley (ASU) def. Blacker/Parkhurst (ARIZ) 17-21, 21-12, 15-4
- Russell/Shannon (ARIZ) def. Anya Pemberton/Ivey Weber (ASU) 23-21, 21-15
- Rylie Kael/Carys Thomas (ASU) def. Cook/Rennie (ARIZ) 21-9, 15-21, 15-10
- Gedikoglu/Uhl (ARIZ) def. Taryn Ames/Sarah Waters (ASU) 21-16, 18-21,15-8
- Kate Fitzgerald/Adriana Nieves Papaleo (ASU) def. Erro/Kost (ARIZ) 21-17, 15-21, 15-10
Up Next
Arizona State will be at the 2023 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships in Stanford, California, starting Wednesday, April 26.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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