(Pullman, WA) Despite two earning career highs in aces, No. 18 Sun Devil Volleyball fell in a thrilling five-set match at No. 11 Washington State (25-18, 17-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-13) on Wednesday afternoon.
Notable Stats:
Arizona State (25-6, 13-6 Pac-12) played in its fourth five-set match of the year, falling to 2-2 on the year in those. ASU is also 2-3 against ranked teams after dropping the road contest at Washington State (23-7, 13-6 Pac-12).
Two different Sun Devils earned career highs in aces to get the team to 10 on the day, the fourth time this season with 10 or more aces. Senior
middle blocker Claire Jeter had five and freshman Jillian Neal had four. The 10 aces moved the 2023 season to fourth place in the record book for single season aces, now at 219.
Senior opposite Marta Levinska had her 16th match in a row with double-digit kills, notching 21 to lead all players. She got to 20-plus kills for the ninth time this season, 17th time in her career, and she has had 20-plus kills in five of the last six matches. With her kill total, she moved into sixth place in the ASU record book for career kills, now at 1,524 after passing Christy Nore (1985-88).
Junior outside hitter Geli Cyr earned her third-straight double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs. This was her fifth of the season, 11th of career.
Graduate libero Mary Shroll had her ninth match in a row with double figures in digs with 11.
Set One: WSU 25, ASU 18
The Sun Devils kicked off their match against the Cougars with a quick 2-0 start, but Washington State was able to flip the switch to score four-straight points. Arizona State grabbed a point back before the Cougars got two in a row, making it 6-3 to force a timeout out of the Sun Devils. After the next six points being split between the two teams, Washington State went on a 5-0 run to push its lead up to 14-6. A challenged call helped switch momentum back over to the Sun Devils to help close their deficit to 18-13. Two kills by Shannon Shields and an attack error on the Cougars’ side eventually helped the Sun Devils rally to a 22-17 score, but came up short as the home team scored three out of four of the next points to win the set.
Set Two: ASU 25, WSU 17
Arizona State was able to get momentum after the first 10 points, taking six out of those points to start the set. The Sun Devils shortly after went on a four-point run with the help of Jeter’s two aces to make their lead 11-5 going into a timeout. The next 13 points became a back and forth battle with Arizona State winning five of those to make the score 16-13. The Sun Devils extended their lead back to five points with a kill from Levinska and a kill and ace from Jeter. After getting two-straight points before Washington State’s timeout, ASU carried its momentum to extend the run to 5-0, coming within three of set point. The Sun Devils were able to gain a set back after a service error.
Set Three: WSU 25, ASU 18
The Cougars opened up the set with a lead, but the Sun Devils were able to quickly get back to make it 4-3. Arizona State called a timeout after Washington State tallied four out of the next five points. Washington State was able to extend its lead to 14-6 after a 5-0 run. The Sun Devils scored three-straight points to make it 16-11, but the Cougars were able to respond within the next few points to extend their lead back to five points. Washington State scored three out of the next five to send Arizona State into its final timeout of the set. Levinska was able to help Arizona State grab a 3-0 run with three-straight kills, but Washington State was able to finish out the set before allowing a potential rally.
Set Four: ASU 25, WSU 23
The Sun Devils opened up the set ahead 7-4, taking advantage of two Cyr kills to give them a three-point advantage. The Cougars got within one point before the Sun Devils rattled off three-straight points, giving ASU a 10-6 lead and forcing a WSU timeout. The Sun Devils won five of the next eight points, taking a 15-9 lead after a Neal ace extended the lead to six. ASU then took a 17-9 lead after two more aces by Neal. Three-straight points by the Cougars prompted the Sun Devils to take a timeout, ahead 17-12. Levinska added two kills, giving ASU a 20-13 advantage. The Cougars managed to get as close as two points, but a kill by the senior evened the match at two sets apiece.
Set Five: WSU 15, ASU 13
Both teams traded the first 10 points with each side tied at 5-5 in the deciding set. The Sun Devils took a 7-5 lead before the Cougars tied the set at 7-7. ASU managed another two-point advantage with a kill by Levinska, but the Cougars went on a five-point scoring run, taking a 12-9 lead and forcing two Sun Devil timeouts. ASU cut the deficit to two at 13-11 after a kill from Cyr, which forced a WSU timeout. The Sun Devils fended off two match points to force the Cougars to take their last timeout after a Jeter and Shields emphatic block at 14-13. However, Washington State took the match on the next point, taking the set 15-13.
Up Next
The Sun Devils will close out the regular season with a rivalry matchup in Tucson on Saturday. Arizona State will play Arizona on the road this Saturday at 5 p.m. MST and will be on the Pac-12 Network.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Megan Neely & Zach Wargo
Click on Logo
