(Fort Myers, FL) Behind a strong block and balanced hitting, Sun Devil Volleyball improved to 2-0 in 2023 after sweeping St. John’s (21-11, 21-17, 21-10) on Saturday afternoon at Alico Arena.
Notable Stats
Arizona State (2-0) got its second sweep in a row to start the season, outhitting St. John’s (1-1) .382 to .054. ASU is also 2-0 at the FGCU Invitational.
The block was on fire in the match as the Sun Devils totaled 12 to the Red Storm’s one. Graduate middle blocker McLaughlin led the way with a career-high six blocks. Junior outside hitter Geli Cyr matched her personal best with four total blocks, including two solo blocks.
The serve was on fire in the match for ASU, tallying nine total. In the first set alone, the team had seven aces. Senior libero Mary Shroll tied her career high of three aces in just the first frame.
Senior opposite Marta Levinska led all players with 13 kills, hitting .387 with just one error in the winning effort. She also notched four blocks and three aces. She passed Leanne Schuster (1991-94) into 17th place in ASU history for career kills with 1,042, 17 behind 16th place. This was also her 14th-straight match (dating back to last season) reaching double figures in kills, extending her record-long streak.
The Sun Devils put together a balanced attack as four had six or more kills. Aside from Levinska, senior middle blocker Claire Jeter had eight kills (on a .571 clip), Cyr had six kills (and nine digs) and McLaughlin also had six kills (with a career-high .364 clip).
Fifth-year senior setter Shannon Shields had 29 assists and nine digs for a near double-double.
The defense was also balanced as three different Sun Devils led the team with nine digs each: Cyr, Shields and Shroll. Sophomore defensive specialist Estella Zatechkawas right behind them with seven digs.
Junior outside hitter Shania Cromartie made her Sun Devil debut in the third set, subbing in and getting a kill.
Quotes
Head Coach JJ Van Niel
“Once again, I’m very proud of how our team executed today, especially in the serve, pass, and block phases of the game. St. John’s is a tough team to play as they have a lot of versatile players they use in a multitude of ways. We were very disciplined and took care of what we needed to to get the win today. Tomorrow, we play an Ole Miss team with a lot of nice pieces, so we need to be on top of our game again.”
Set One: ASU 25, St. John’s 11
The Sun Devils jumped out to a 5-0 lead in a run that saw two aces from Shroll and three kills from ASU. The lead exploded to 11-1 after six in a row from Arizona State, including two aces from Levinska. The block got going later in the set, with a solo block from Cyr and another block from McLaughlin and Levinska making it 20-7. After Shroll’s third ace, which tied her career high, got the team to set point, Jeter put it away for the 25-11 win.
Set Two: ASU 25, St. John’s 17
The momentum held for the Sun Devils in the second set, opening up on four-straight points with two kills from McLaughlin. However, the Red Storm responded by going on a 3-1 run to get within two at 6-4. ASU opened back up the lead with three points in a row, two coming from kills from Levinska, to make it 14-8. McLaughlin’s block down the stretch made a difference, first capping off a 3-0 run to push the advantage to 20-14, then to win the set at 25-17.
Set Three: ASU 25, St. John’s 10
Cyr came out hot in the third set, immediately getting two kills to spark a 5-0 run to begin. A huge 8-0 run really put the Sun Devils out of reach at 17-5, a run that saw kills from four different Sun Devils, including two from Roberta Rabelo. ASU ended the set on a 4-1 run to win, capped off by a kill from McLaughlin.
Up Next
Arizona State will close out the FGCU Invitational against Ole Miss on Sunday at 8 a.m. MST/11 a.m. EDT. Like today’s match, there will be no live stream, but fans can follow along with live stats or on social media.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kiberlie Haner
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