(Tucson, AZ) It was another intense rivalry battle on the sand, but this time No. 13 Sun Devil Beach Volleyball came up short, falling 3-2 at No. 19 Arizona on Thursday.
Arizona State (18-7) split the season series against Arizona (19-9) after the Sun Devils won back in Tempe earlier this year. Each team gets a half point in the Territorial Cup Series.
After the first wave, it was tied 1-1 in the dual. Both courts went to three sets, with ASU winning on court two with Arden Besecker and Anya Pemberton. That pair trailed early in the third set, coming back to tie it at 12-12 and eventually win 15-13.
In the second wave, courts one and three were straight-set wins. The Sand Devils took the ones match, with Daniella Kensinger and Ava Williamson getting a quick sweep, 21-11, 21-13. It all came down to the fives, which went to three sets after ASU battled back to win the second set. However, Arizona won the third set in extra points (19-17) to win the dual.
Both Besecker and Williamson are now 21-4 on the year to lead the team. Kensinger and Pemberton improved their records to 16-9.
Results (Order of Finish: 4, 2, 1, 3, 5*)
- Daniella Kensinger/Ava Williamson (ASU) def. McElroy/Russell (ARIZ) 21-11, 21-13
- Arden Besecker/Anya Pemberton (ASU) def. Kost/Shannon (ARIZ) 21-14, 15-21, 15-13
- Cook/Fitzsimmons (ARIZ) def. Taryn Ames/Lexi Sweeney (ASU) 21-15, 21-17
- Horwath/Phillips (ARIZ) def. Ava Haughy/Ava Kirunchyk (ASU) 15-21, 21-16, 15-10
- Erro/Zilliken (ARIZ) def. Adriana Nieves Papaleo/Kendall Whitmarsh (ASU) 21-13, 18-21, 19-17
Up Next
Senior Day for Arizona State is tomorrow, April 19, at 5:30 p.m. MST against Ottawa.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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