(Tempe, AZ) No. 12 Sun Devil Beach Volleyball has won five duals in a row, earning two more against UTEP (5-0) and South Carolina (4-1) on Saturday to close out the ASU/GCU Invitational.
Arizona State improves to 14-8 after improving its winning streak to five in a row. ASU also improved to 8-0 against unranked teams. At home this season, the Sand Devils are 7-1 with two home duals remaining on April 19.
Juniors Tori Clement and Kendall Whitmarsh continued their success, sweeping both matches on court three to extend their winning streak to nine in a row. That is tied for the longest winning streak by a pair in program history. It is tied for the third-longest winning streak for individuals at ASU. Together, they are 10-2, the first pair to reach double-digit wins together. Individually, they are 15-7, a team-best.
In addition to Clement and Whitmarsh at the No. 3 spot, the top four pairs remained the same for all five home duals and all four won every match. Along with the team’s five-dual winning streak, the following pairs are on five-match winning streaks: Daniella Kensinger and Samaya Morin (ones), Ava Kirunchyk and Ava Williamson (twos) and Ava Haughy and Olivia McElroy (fours).
There was movement in the Sun Devil record book for career individual wins (while at ASU) after today. Williamson is now 13th with 38 and Kensinger moved up to 16th with 33. Haughy cracked the top 25 this weekend, now at 24th with 26 wins.
Freshman Layla Williams made her collegiate debut against UTEP, playing on court five with fellow freshman Zoë Taylor.
Game One: No. 12 ASU 5, UTEP 0
The sixth sweep of the year came against the Miners (10-10), with all five courts winning in straight sets. At the No. 5 spot, Williams played in her first collegiate dual, winning her match with Taylor. Additionally, Clement and Whitmarsh’s win streak moved to eight in a row.
Final Results (Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1*, 3, 5)
- Daniella Kensinger/Samaya Morin (ASU) def. Hill/Uskokovic (UTEP) 21-18, 21-15
- Ava Kirunchyk/Ava Williamson (ASU) def. Acuna/Ovalle (UTEP) 21-10, 21-6
- Tori Clement/Kendall Whitmarsh (ASU) def. Paegle/Popovic (UTEP) 21-12, 21-15
- Ava Haughy/Olivia McElroy (ASU) def. Perry/Schubert (UTEP) 21-12, 21-11
- Zoë Taylor/Layla Williams (ASU) def. Davis/Oporto (UTEP) 21-18, 21-11
Game Two: No. 12 ASU 4, South Carolina 1
ASU wrapped up the weekend with a win over South Carolina (8-9). The top four courts got the points, with the Gamecocks taking one on five. Pairs one through three swept their courts, while the No. 4 pair of Haughy and McElroy bounced back after a first-set loss to win in three.
Final Results (Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1*, 3, 5)
- Daniella Kensinger/Samaya Morin (ASU) def. Cranford/Waugh (SC) 21-14, 21-18
- Ava Kirunchyk/Ava Williamson (ASU) def. Hartmann/Whitesides (SC) 21-19, 21-12
- Tori Clement/Kendall Whitmarsh (ASU) def. Downs/Trost (SC) 21-17, 24-22
- Ava Haughy/Olivia McElroy (ASU) def. Nelson/Quintero (SC) 19-21, 21-18, 15-9
- Lyen/Westendorff (SC) def. Anya Pemberton/Layla Williams (ASU) 18-21, 21-19, 15-11
Quotes
Head Coach Kristen GlattfeldeOn what she liked from her team in this week’s competition:
“I felt like this week was the first week that we came in and played well across the board. Every pair played really aggressive, really confident. I also felt earlier on in the season we had situations where one pair might have a really good day and another pair might not have a good day, but I felt like across the board that was the best that we’ve played as an entire team, five pairs across.”
On something that differentiates this team from others:
“I’ve seen a really big improvement in our overall effort. From the beginning that’s something that we talked about. We shouldn’t have to coach effort. That should be something that’s just a given. They work so hard in strength, conditioning and even in the classroom and everything they do. It’s not easy being a D1 athlete. There’s a lot of sacrifices you have to give, and I just give them a lot of credit for how bought in they are to our program and wanting to make it successful.”
Up Next
The Sun Devils are in Tucson for the second time this season next weekend, playing in the Wildcat Spring Challenge. ASU will face off against Big 12 opponents TCU, Utah and Arizona, as well as Pepperdine.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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