(Flagstaff, AZ) It was another dominant performance from Sun Devil Volleyball on Saturday morning as the squad swept Stephen F. Austin (25-13, 25-16, 25-16) to win the Lumberjack Classic and stay undefeated.
Junior outside hitter Geli Cyr was named the MVP of the tournament. She was a strong contributor in all three matches, hitting .615 in the opening match and notching double-digit kills in the last two. Senior outside hitter Roberta Rabelo and graduate setter Shannon Shields were named to the all-tournament team.
Notable Stats
Arizona State is now 9-0 on the year, tied for the fourth-best start in program history with the 1985 squad.
ASU won the Lumberjack Classic by sweeping all three matches. The team has swept six of the nine matches and has lost just three sets all year.
The squad held Stephen F. Austin (8-2) to a .020 hitting percentage to ASU’s .292.
The serving stayed a strong point for the Sun Devils, serving up eight aces in the win. Senior opposite Marta Levinska had three aces to up her season total to 21, already six more than she had in 2022. Heading into today’s match, she was third in the NCAA in total aces.
Junior outside hitter Geli Cyr led all players with 11 kills. She also had three blocks, five digs, two assists and an ace for a solid all-around performance.
Leading the defense at the net this match was graduate middle blocker Maddie McLaughlin with seven blocks, a career high. She chipped in three kills as well.
Fifth-year senior setter Shannon Shields had 23 assists in the win, adding four digs and a pair of aces.
Levinska had seven kills to move up to 14th place in the ASU record book for career kills, surpassing Erica Wilson (2009-12). Levinksa now has 1,129 total kills. Her streak of consecutive matches with double-digit kills ended at 20, dating back to last season.
Quote
Head Coach JJ Van Niel
“I’m proud of this team. We faced some adversity this weekend and responded nicely. We had multiple contributors each match of the tournament and it was great to see different players step up when needed. I’m looking forward to our fourth and final road trip of the non-conference schedule next weekend.”
Set One: ASU 25, SFA 13
The opening set was all ASU. With Levinska serving to start, the team opened on a 6-0 run that saw two kills from Cyr. The Sun Devils again scored seven in a row, this time with Shields serving and getting two aces, to extend the lead to 16-3. For the remainder of the set, it was fairly back and forth, but the damage had been done. A tip kill from Rabelo finished the set off at 25-13.
Set Two: ASU 25, SFA 16
Arizona State opened up the second set with a 5-1 lead, getting there with an ace from Cyr. A successful challenge by ASU got Levinska and McLaughlin the block to extend the lead to 9-4. Kills from Shields and Rabelo sparked a 4-0 run for the Sun Devils, doubling up the ‘Jacks at 16-8. Arizona State ended the set on a 6-1 run, highlighted by two aces from Levinska, to win 25-16.
Set Three: ASU 25, SFA 16
Levinska’s serve stayed hot in the third frame, opening up the set 4-0. Later in the set, Levinska served seven in a row with two de facto aces as overpass kills from McLaughlin and Cyr to push the lead to 22-8. A late 8-0 run by SFA extended the set, making it 22-16. However, ASU got a sideout and scored three-straight to win 25-16, ending on a kill from Rabelo.
Up Next
The Sun Devils have one final non-conference tournament at the Beale Street Challenge hosted by Memphis next weekend, September 14-16. ASU will play Memphis, Little Rock, and Southern Miss.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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