(Eugene, OR) No. 19 Sun Devil Volleyball got its first ranked win of the season in style, sweeping No. 5 Oregon (27-25, 25-18, 25-19) in Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Notable Stats
Arizona State (18-2, 6-2 Pac-12) bounced back in a huge way after Friday’s loss, beating Oregon (16-3, 6-2 Pac-12) in straight sets. It was the fifth win over a top-five team in program history, the first since a sweep over No. 2 Texas in 2013.
ASU snapped a four-match losing streak to Oregon, winning for the first time since 2021. It was the first road win since 2019 and the first road sweep since 2018.
Senior opposite Marta Levinska led all players with 12 kills, adding seven digs and three blocks as well. Her kill total got her to 10th place in the ASU record book for career kills, now tied with Margie Giordano (2005-08).
The Sun Devils served tough in the win, getting six aces. Freshman Jillian Neal had a career-high two aces, one of which was the set winner in the first set. Senior Claire Jeter also had two aces.
The defense was strong for the Sun Devils with three earning 10 digs: Shannon Shields, Mary Shroll and Geli Cyr.
Graduate setter Shields had 29 assists in the win to go with her 10 digs, notching her fifth double-double of the season. She also tied her season high in kills with five.
Arizona State out-blocked Oregon 10 to 6. Graduate middle blocker Maddie McLaughlin led the team with five of her own, followed by Jeter with four.
This match was the first ranked matchup between Oregon and Arizona State since 2014.
Quote:
Head Coach JJ Van Niel
“We played a really clean match and executed at a very high level today. Oregon is a physical team with a fast tempo offense, and we put a lot of pressure on them from the service line, defended and serve received well, and managed the game really well offensively. Oregon made pushes late in sets one and three, and we were able to stop them and close it out. I’m really proud of the focus and tenacity we showed.”
Set One: ASU 27, Oregon 25
The Ducks got out to an early 4-1 lead, but the Sun Devils were able to climb back into it. A 3-0 run with two kills from Levinska gave ASU its first lead at 7-6. Following two separate runs of three in a row, an off-speed shot from Roberta Rabelo got the kill and got the lead up to five, 14-9. Oregon put pressure on with a 5-1 run to get within two, 18-16, forcing a timeout from ASU. The Ducks tied it up at 19-19 and the teams would trade points for a bit until a 3-1 run for the Sun Devils got them to set point, 24-22. Oregon would force extra points, but an ace from Neal would win it, 27-25.
Set Two: ASU 25, Oregon 18
Rabelo and Jeter teamed up a block to cap off a 5-1 start to the second frame, but the home team responded with a 4-0 run to tie it. Oregon took the lead at 7-6 before kills from Rabelo and Levinska took it back, 8-7. The teams went back and forth until Rabelo caught fire, scoring four of a five-point run to go up 18-12. A 3-0 run got the lead up to seven, the most it would get. An error from Oregon won the set for ASU, 25-18.
Set Three: ASU 25, Oregon 19
Oregon started the third set with a 6-3 lead, but Arizona State slowly started chipping away. Kills from Jeter and Cyr tied it up at 8-8. ASU put together a 4-0 run with Jeter serving to take the 14-11 lead. The Sun Devils scored three in a row with help from an ace by Levinska to extend the advantage to 20-15. The Ducks went on a 5-1 run to get within two, but their errors plagued them. Arizona State ended the set with a 4-0 run, three of which were errors from Oregon, to win 25-19.
Up Next
Arizona State is on the road again next weekend, traveling to Utah and Colorado.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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