(Tempe, AZ) In the Big 12 home opener, No. 15 Sun Devil Volleyball notched a season-high 14 blocks to emerge victorious against Utah in four sets (17-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-15) on Wednesday night at Mullett Arena.
Notable Stats
Arizona State (13-2, 2-1 Big 12) beat former Pac-12 foe Utah (12-2, 2-1 Big 12) for the first Big 12 win at home, bouncing back after dropping the first set to win the next three. This snapped an eight-match winning streak for the Utes.
Under head coach JJ Van Niel, ASU has not lost two matches in a row. This was his 50th match as a head coach, improving to 41-9 overall.
ASU had 14 blocks, which is a new season high.
Graduate middle blocker Claire Jeter had a stand-out showing for the Sun Devils. She led the charge at the net with nine blocks, matching her career high that she last reached in 2022. She also had 10 kills, her fourth time this season in double figures. Additionally, she collected five digs and two aces.
Both middle blockers came to play tonight as graduate Savannah Kjolhede had a team-high 12 kills on a .800 clip, which is a career-high hitting percentage for her. This was her second time this season reaching double figures in kills. She added five blocks as well.
Graduate libero Mary Shroll notched a game-high 23 digs for her fourth match this season with 20-plus digs, 12th in her career. It was the 17th-straight match with double-digit digs for her. She also had two aces.
As the primary setter, graduate Argentina Ung notched her fourth double-double of the year, 23rd of her career, with 33 assists and 10 digs.
Another double-double came from senior outside hitter Geli Cyr with a season-high 17 digs and 10 kills. This was her fifth-straight match in double figures in kills.
Redshirt-freshman Brynn Covell in double-digit digs for the third time, matching her career high with 12.
Sophomore Jillian Neal made a difference off the net in the match. She tied her career high in digs with eight and chipped in four kills. She also had one ace.
Set One: Utah 25, ASU 17
The Sun Devils trailed 7-3 early in the first set, with the Utes going on three and four point scoring runs. Arizona State took its first timeout after going down 12-7. ASU was able to cut the Utah lead to 15-13, with one of the points being a service ace from Shroll. Utah then took firm control of the set, going on an 8-2 run and taking the first set 25-17.
Set Two: ASU 25, Utah 13
The second set featured a stronger start from ASU, as the Sun Devils got off to a 3-0 lead. Utah responded by tying the set at four, then Arizona State scored five-straight points. Jeter led the charge during that run with two kills and two blocks. The Sun Devils got out to a 21-11 lead before the Utes called a timeout, with Neal notching three kills in that span. ASU would capture the second set 25-13, tying the match.
Set Three: ASU 25, Utah 19
Like the second set, the Sun Devils took control early and got out to a 6-2 advantage. With Arizona State ahead 9-6, a 5-0 run for the Sun Devils commenced. Kjolhede recorded three kills during the run, and ended up with six total kills in the set. The Utes fought back however, going on a 7-1 run before the Sun Devils called a timeout. ASU regained its groove after the timeout, and the Sun Devils grabbed the 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-19 set victory.
Set Four: ASU 25, Utah 15
Both teams went back and forth to start the pivotal fourth set, as ASU and Utah split the first eight points. Arizona State then took the momentum with a 6-2 scoring run. Cyr and Kjolhede each recorded two kills during the run. With the Sun Devils ahead 14-8, the Utes countered with a 5-2 run to pull within three points. Ahead 18-15, Arizona State would finish strong, going on a 7-0 run to win the match.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Sam Valenti
602 Sports Talk Live-Streamed this match and is available in its entirety at http://facebook.com/602sportstalk
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