(Lincoln, NE) To wrap up the Nebraska Classic, No. 14 Sun Devil Volleyball swept Long Beach State (25-12, 25-22, 25-22) on Saturday morning at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Notable Stats
Arizona State (8-1) won in straight sets over Long Beach State (4-3) for the fifth sweep of the year. The Sun Devils under head coach JJ Van Niel improves to 20-1 in non-conference play.
ASU went 2-1 at the Nebraska Classic with wins over Wichita State and Long Beach State, the lone loss coming against No. 5 Nebraska.
It was a strong blocking match for ASU with the team earning nine. Graduate middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede led teh effort with five.
Senior outside hitter Geli Cyr led the team in kills with 12, her fifth match this year reaching double figures. She also hit .500 (matching her season best) and had six digs, two assists, one ace and a block.
It was a well-rounded match for graduate setter Argentina Ung who had 26 assists, eight digs, six kills, four blocks (a new season high) and an ace.
Graduate libero Mary Shroll had a match-high 13 digs, her 11th match in a row in double figures dating back to last season.
Two pin hitters notched eight kills in the win: graduate Shania Cromartie and junior Bailey Miller.
Box Score
Set One: ASU 25, LBSU 12
The Sun Devils jumped out to a 5-1 run to start the opening set, which included an ace from Ung. ASU slowly added to the lead, scoring three in a row with a block from Kjolhede to push the lead to 12-5. Another run of three with two kills from Cromartie extended it to 16-7. Cyr’s kill made it 20-10 to double up the Beach, forcing a timeout. Arizona State scored four-straight points to win the set, 25-12.
Set Two: ASU 25, LBSU 22
After a close start to the second frame, seeing a tie at 7-7, ASU scored four in a row with kills from three different players to make it 11-7. An ace from Jeter was part of a 3-0 run to push the advantage to 16-10. Long Beach fought back, going on a 4-1 run to make it 19-15, but a kill from Kjolhede stopped the momentum. The Beach fought of four Sun Devil set points, forcing an ASU timeout at 24-22, but Cyr’s kill finished the job to win 25-22.
Set Three: ASU 25, LBSU 22
The Beach took an early advantage in the third frame, jumping out to a 5-2 lead. ASU tied it up at 8-8 after a setter dump from Ung, but LBSU took back the lead. A 5-1 run from Long Beach forced a timeout from ASU, down 13-9. The teams traded points until the Sun Devils scored three in a row to tie it at 16-16, capped of by a block from Kjolhede. After trailing again, Arizona State used a block and kill from Cromartie to knot it up again at 18-18, bringing a timeout from Long Beach. That turned into a 4-0 run to take the 20-18 lead behind the serve of Shroll. Following another tie at 20-20, it was back and forth again until ASU scored three in a row to win 25-22.
Up Next
Arizona State finally returns home next week to host the Webb-Burbridge Classic from September 19-21, bringing in Prairie View A&M, Memphis and Montana State.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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