Rivalry Dual Goes to #10 Sand Devils, Team Splits Day

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(Tempe, AZ)  Our State! #10 Sun Devil Beach Volleyball wrapped up the Pac-12 South Tournament with a 3-2 win over #19 Arizona on Sunday, which followed a 3-2 loss to #7 Cal earlier in the day.

Arizona State (8-2) beat Arizona (8-3) for the third-straight time at home. ASU also earns a half point in the Territorial Cup Series, with the second half up for grabs in Tucson on April 18.

The win over Arizona was the fifth ranked victory of the year, extending the program record for wins over ranked opponents in a single season. The 8-2 start to a season is also the best record through the first 10 games that the Sun Devils have ever had. 

The top pair of Daniella Kensinger and Anya Pemberton went undefeated on the day, winning both of their  matches in straight sets against duos from ranked teams. They improved to 7-3, which is tied for the best pairs record on the team with Taryn Ames and Lexi Sweeney.

Game One: #7 Cal 3, #10 ASU 2
Cal (9-3) went up 2-0 after the first wave and clinched at the fives to win the match. However, ASU picked up a pair of wins in the last two matches at the No. 1 and 3 spots. Kensinger and Pemberton on the top court won a close 24-22 first set and then dominated the second set, 21-10. For the veteran duo of Ames and Sweeney, they lost the first set and came back to win in three, leading from the jump in the final set to win 15-8.

Results (Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5*, 1, 3)

1. 1. Daniella Kensinger/Anya Pemberton (ASU) def. Caffo/Peters (CAL) 24-22, 21-10
   2. Donley/Young-Gomez (CAL) def. Arden Besecker/Ava Williamson (ASU) 21-19, 19-21, 15-8
   3. Taryn Ames/Lexi Sweeney (ASU) def. Fisher/Pally (CAL) 18-21, 21-18, 15-8
   4. Boos/Buchner (CAL) def. Ava Haughy/Ava Kirunchyk (ASU) 21-15, 18-21, 17-15
2. Dreibholz/Sherman (CAL) def. Rylie Kael/Kendall Whitmarsh (ASU) 21-9, 21-16

Game Two: #10 ASU 3, #19 Arizona 2

A nail-biting Territorial Cup series matchup was successful for the Sun Devils as they defeated the Wildcats, 3-2. ASU picked up its first point during the twos match with Besecker and Williamson, where they swept Arizona handily. Arizona struck next in the fours matchup, where they won it to three sets to tie the dual, 1-1. In the No. 1 spot, Kensinger and Pemberton finished in their second sweep of the day and almost set a new record for the longest set in team history in their second set, earning the win 30-28. For the win, the No. 5 duo of Carys Thomas and Kael battled it out in three close sets, ultimately besting the Cats in the last set, 15-12. 

Results (Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1, 5*, 3)

1. 1. Daniella Kensinger/Anya Pemberton (ASU) def. McElroy/Russell (ARIZ) 21-17, 30-28
   2. Arden Besecker/Ava Williamson (ASU) def. Cook/Fitzsimmons (ARIZ) 21-15, 21-14
   3. Kost/Shannon (ARIZ) def. Taryn Ames/Lexi Sweeney (ASU) 21-14, 18-21, 15-8
   4. Horwath/Phillips (ARIZ) def. Ava Haughy/Ava Kirunchyk (ASU) 21-19, 19-21, 16-14

1. 1. Rylie Kael/Carys Thomas (ASU) def. Erro/Zilliken (ARIZ) 21-19, 19-21, 15-12 

Up Next

The Sun Devils are on the road this upcoming weekend as they travel to Long Beach, California to play in the LBSU Tournament.

Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner