MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Sun Devil Volleyball kicked off the Beale Street Classic with a win, sweeping Memphis (25-10, 25-22, 25-21) to maintain their perfect start (10-0) to the season.
Notable Stats
Arizona State is now 10-0, the fourth-best start in program history and the best start by a new head coach (JJ Van Niel).
This sweep was the seventh of the season. ASU has lost just three sets all season.In the first meeting all-time between the two teams, ASU held Memphis (3-7) to a .133 hitting percentage, compared to the Sun Devils’ .330. Two pins hit over .400 in the win.
The pin hitters were effective, as seniors Roberta Rabelo and Marta Levinska had 14 and 10 kills, respectively. Rabelo hit .429 and Levinksa hit .444.
Graduate libero Mary Schroll led all players with 12 digs and a career-high four service aces. She also had four assists. Shroll is now setter Shannon Shields paced the offense with 35 assists, while also contributing six digs, three blocks, and an ace. Her three blocks tied the team high with graduate middle blocker Maddie McLaughlin.
Set One: ASU 25, MEMPHIS 10
The Sun Devils got out to a quick 4-0 start thanks to tough serving by Levinska. ASU continued to grow its lead throughout the set, forcing Memphis to call a timeout with ASU up 9-3. The Tigers were able to get the point out of the timeout, but a service error immediately gave the Sun Devils the sideout and led them on a 7-2 run. With Arizona State up 16-6, Memphis called another timeout. ASU continued to stay on a roll out of the timeout thanks to a kill by Cyr. Shroll ended the set by putting up two-straight aces to make the final score 25-10.
Set Two: ASU 25, MEMPHIS 22
Memphis got off to a quick start, going up 6-3, forcing ASU to call a timeout. The Sun Devils were able to tie things up at 6-6, thanks to a 3-0 run out of the timeout. ASU was able to take an 11-8 lead thanks to a 5-1 run that included two kills by Levinska. The two teams continued to battle it out, but Arizona State was able to maintain their lead throughout the set. A kill by Rabelo had the ASU up 24-22, but Memphis called another timeout. The Sun Devils were able to clinch the set immediately after the timeout thanks to an ace by Shields.
Set Three: ASU 25, MEMPHIS 21
Memphis got off to a 3-0 start before a kill by Rabelo got ASU on the board. The Sun Devils then went on a 4-0 run, putting them up 5-4. The Tigers followed with a 3-0 run, but the Sun Devils responded with three in a row of their own, giving them a slight lead at 9-8. Memphis then rattled off four-straight points to force ASU to call a timeout down 12-9. The teams continued at an even pace after that, until Memphis called a timeout, up 17-15 on the Devils. ASU then finished out the set strong, going on a 7-2 run to close out the set, 25-21.
Up Next
Arizona State will continue the tournament against Little Rock on Friday at 1 p.m. MST/3 p.m. CDT. Live stats will be available to follow along.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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