(Tempe, AZ) The Sun Devils (13-3) fresh off a beat down of then #8 TCU four days ago set their in state rival Arizona (6-10) in a Territorial Cup match.
On paper, this game ASU had a sizable advantage and was currently ranked 8th with a Strength of Schedule of 16 and the Wildcats were not ranked and their Strength of Schedule was 137.
The Devil have won the Big XII Conference the past two years and are trying to three-peat.
Arizona Coach Charita Stubbs looked to break a six match losing streak against the Sun Devils.
Photo – Catherine Wong/602 Sports Talk
First Set
ASU began with a 4-1 lead with good passing and the block wall the Cats were still trying to figure out.
The Wildcats settled down and scratched back 7-5 with the help of Destiny Ndam-Simpson’s kill and Arizona took the lead 10-9.
Arizona’s front line led by Kennedy Osumsani rose up and made two solid blocks to keep the Wildcats up 14-11.
The early passing game for the Sun Devils wasn’t as crisp as it was against TCU.
ASU’s Zoey Burgess has two blocks as both teams stayed striking distance of each other.
After the Devils’ timeout, Noemi Glover had a statement kill to draw Arizona State within one 19-18.
Arizona stopped the run momentum, but ASU’s Faith Frame with a service ace and Glover’s kill caught them at 22-22.
The Cats got the next two points and were at set point 24-22 when Coach Van Niel called a timeout.
When the Sun Deviks needed a point, Glover delivered with a kill shot followed by a monster block to tie it at 24-24. An attack error by UofA’s Marina Vosloo then put the Sun Devis at set point.
An attack error by the Cats and a 5-0 run by ASU let the Devils come back to take the set when their backs were against the wall.
Photo – Catherine Wong/602 Sports Talk
Second Set
Sun Devils with the momentum went out quickly with Zoey Burgess leading the way. Then, the play of the year so far when libero Frame when outside the court to save the ball back in play and then taken off the fams heads in the front row and finally Clinton put it away for the point to a stunned Wildcat team.
It was Arizona who now looked out of sorts wiht a couple of hitting errors but still within striking distance 10-8 but Coach Stubbs needed a timeout,
Arizona State came out on a 5-2 run and forced another Zona timeout at 15-10.
Glover was on fire with kills through double block defense and cross court smashes forcing another timeout down 21-12.
With Glover taking care of business on offense, it was Burgess who stopped Arizona’s attack with block after block.
glover according to script put the finishing touches on the second set win with one of her power slams for a 25-14 win to go up 2-0 sets
Photo – Catherine Wong/602 Sports Talk
Third Set
Arizona took the lead starting off the set for the first time 2-0, but the Devils bounced back to tie 2-2.
This was a mirror of the first set where Arizona’s passing was back to where Coach Stubbs wanted them.
Back and forth we went with neither team taking more than a two point lead.
The Sun Devils took a 3 point lead 11-8 from an ace by Burgess and a kill by Mottola. Coach Stubbs again forced to call a timout in a win or go home set didn’t want a big ASU run.
Each team traded points out of the timeout, but Zona hung in there tying the match at 12-12. ASU went on a 4-1 run 16-13.
Devils couldn’t shake Arizona as they hung around 18-17 on a Marina Vosloo kill.
The Wildcats were now in the lead 20-19 going down the stretch.
Long rally with each side making phenomenal digs finally came to and end when Arizona hit it out of bounds but the Cats still led 22-20.
An attack error by the Sun Devils took the score to 23-21 Arizona before Glover asserted herself with a clutch kill to draw within one 23-22 and an Arizona timeout.
Wildcats set point saw an attack error that allowed ASU to pull within one but Arizona came out on top from a service error to take the set and stave off elimination 25-23 down 2-1 sets.
Set Four
Arizona State appeared a bit angry coming out for the fourth set after letting the UofA back in the match quickly went out 5-0 and a Wildcats timout.
Arizona got on the board from a kill from Osunsanmi and a service ace by Ndam-Simpson for a 6-3 deficit.
Back came the Cats with three consecutive kills by Osunsanmi, Sample and Cisneros down by two 8-6,
The Devils stopped the run off a Gover kill but two plays later had a service error by Vosloo0 and their lead was back to two 11-9.
As much as ASU wanted to pad their slim lead, the Wildcats wouldn’t go away and trailed 13-11.
A challenge reversal helped the Cats briefly on staying at a 3 point deficit 16-13 instead of 5 points. Arizona State answered with two quick points from a Glover kill and a Burgess block 18-13.
A service ace by Piper Rama drove the nail into the Cats’ coffin and a big Sun Devil lead 21-14.
Now the floodgates were open as ASU ran off 7-2 points to take the match 25-16 and 3-1 sets.
Tonight’s Attendance was 7,190, the largest this century and according to Cooach Van Niel “a very loud crowd.”
Photo – Catherine Wong/602 Sports Talk
Wrap Up
Two milestones were reach3ed tonight as Coach Van Niel reached his 100th victory (100-17) as a head coach and the fastest to that mark in ASU history.
This was also the first Territorial Cup match up of the new school year against rival Arizona. ASU leads .5-0 with the trip to Tucson slated for a month from now on November 15th,
Faith Frame a libero got a passed her 1000th dig. She’s recorded double digit digs 10 tines this season.
The double-double club included Noemi Glover was a beast on offense with 23 kills and 16 defensive digs,.
Isabella Costantini collected 32 assists, 1 ace and 8 digs.
On defense, there was no one better than Zoey burgess with a half a dozen blocks and was a menace to the Arizona offense.
The Sun Devils head to Lawrence Kansas and a date with the Jayhawks.on October 18th as noon local time. Kansas and ASU are tied for second along with TCU in the Big XII at 5-1.
Arizona drops to 1-5 in conference and 6-11 overall. The Cats host BYU on October 17th at 6 p.m. local time.
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