(Berkeley, CA) Behind 30 kills from Marta Levinska, No. 25 Sun Devil Volleyball got a gritty five-set road win at Cal (23-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-21, 15-9) on Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion.
Notable Stats
Arizona State (15-1, 3-1 Pac-12) got back to its winning ways against Cal (12-3, 1-3 Pac-12). This was ASU’s first five-set match of the season.
The Sun Devils extended their winning streak against the Bears to five in a row. ASU’s last win in Berkeley in 2022 also went to five sets.
Senior outside Marta Levinska had a career-high 30 kills to tie the Arizona State rally-scoring record for kills in a match. All-time, it is tied for 10th. She is the first to reach 30 since 2017 when Oluoma Okaro reached that total. This was her 11th match in her career, third this month, with 20-plus kills. In addition to her high kill total, she also hit .482. She added nine digs for a near double-double, as well as three blocks and an ace.
Levinska was not the only one with career numbers in the win. Graduate setter Shannon Shields had a new personal best in assists with 54, adding eight digs and an ace. This is her third match in her career with 50-plus assists, second this season.
Junior Geli Cyr collected a career-high 22 digs, surpassing her previous high of 20, which she reached in 2021. This is the highest dig total by any Sun Devil this season. She also had 12 kills for a double-double, her second of the year and eighth in her career.
A few others reached double-digits in their respective specialties. Graduate libero Mary Shroll notched 19 digs, a season high for her. Senior outside hitter Roberta Rabelo had 10 kills, her sixth match this season in double figures.
Senior middle blocker Claire Jeter led the team in aces with four, tying her career high, and in blocks with five. She also had six kills and five digs.
Freshman Jillian Neal made her collegiate debut in the third set, coming in to serve. She played the remaining sets to serve, getting her first ace.
Head Coach JJ Van Niel
“Getting road wins in the Pac-12 is always tough, so I’m proud of the team for battling until the end for this win. Hats off to Cal, they put a lot of pressure on us early and really forced us to make some defensive adjustments to find more success. A lot of our players stepped up in big ways in tough moments. That was our first five-set match, so I hope we gained some confidence and learned from today.”
Set One: Cal 25, ASU 23
It was a back-and-forth affair for the two teams in the first set with 14 ties and eight lead changes. ASU got its first lead at 12-11 after a 3-0 run that saw two kills from Cyr. The teams traded 3-0 runs, with the latter getting the Sun Devils up 15-14 on two kills from Levinska. The Bears created separation by scoring five in a row to go up 23-18. With Cal at set point, Levinska put away two-straight kills and had an ace to get Arizona State within one, 24-23, but the comeback was too late as the home team won 25-23. Levinska had seven kills in this set, hitting .600.
Set Two: ASU 25, Cal 21
Competition remained tight in the second frame, neither team able to create separation. Shields dropped in an ace for the early 3-2 lead before the back and forth continued. ASU had two blocks in a row to go up by two, 10-8. After the Bears tied it again and the teams kept trading sideouts, the Sun Devils were able to get two in a row to make it 17-15 after kills from Levinska and Cyr. Arizona State would hold onto the lead, extending it down the stretch with another Levinska kill to win 25-21. She had 10 kills in this set.
Set Three: Cal 25, ASU 22
After an early 7-6 lead from a kill from Jeter, ASU was able to maintain a slight edge for the majority of the set. Jeter served back-to-back aces to make it 10-7. A pair of kills from Cal tied the set at 18-18, beginning the home squad’s push for the lead. The Bears went on a 6-1 run to go up 24-21. A kill from Cyr held off one set point, but Cal would win on the next, 25-22.
Set Four: ASU 25, Cal 21
Despite trailing 6-3 early, Arizona State bounced back to take the lead on a 5-0 run, 12-10. The run saw two aces from Jeter and Levinska’s 22nd kill. The Sun Devils scored four in a row to extend the advantage to 16-11, forcing the Bears’ second timeout. ASU scored four-straight points to go up 23-15, a run that included Levinska’s 26th kill, surpassing her career high. Cal had a late 4-0 run with Arizona State at set point, but an error sealed the set win, 25-21.
Set Five: ASU 15, Cal 9
The Sun Devils jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the fifth, a run that saw an ace from Neal. However, the Bears responded after a timeout with four in a row to get within one, down 7-6. Levinska’s cross-court kill ended the run to get the side switch. That kill sparked five-straight points, including two blocks, to double up Cal at 12-6. Levinska matched the rally-scoring record at ASU to get her team to 13-7. The Bears held off one match point, but their error won the match for the Sun Devils, 15-9.
Up Next
The Sun Devils return home next weekend to host the LA schools. ASU will match up against USC on Friday in the first Desert Financial Arena match of the season before taking on UCLA in Mullett Arena on Sunday.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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