(San Luis Obispo, CA) No. 12 Sun Devil Beach Volleyball struggled against the top-two teams in the nation to start the Center of Effort Challenge on Friday, falling 4-1 to No. 1 TCU and 5-0 to No. 2 UCLA at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex.
Arizona State (17-11) had a tough start to the COE Challenge by dropping both duals. The Sun Devils fall to 6-11 against ranked teams this season. ASU will have two more chances against ranked teams on Saturday, first against No. 4 LMU at 9 a.m. MST/PDT before a matchup that will be determined tomorrow based on seedings.
Playing on court two as usual, redshirt junior Ava Kirunchyk and sophomore Ava Williamson saw their winning streak come to an end. They got to 10 in a row after winning the lone point for the Sand Devils against TCU, but came up short against UCLA. Their streak of 10 is the second-longest winning streak by a pair, fourth-longest for an individual in program history. Together, they’re now 10-1. Individually, Williamson leads the team with 19 wins on the year (19-9).
Game One: No. 1 TCU 4, No. 12 ASU 1
In the third matchup of the season between ASU and TCU (20-4), the Horned Frogs came out on top again. The Sun Devils were able to win two of the first sets in the first wave. The No. 2 pair of Kirunchyk and Williamson swept their court to extend their winning streak to 10 in a row. Court five went to three sets, but TCU ended up taking that court as well.
Final Results (Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3, 4*, 5)
- Alvarez/Hamlett (TCU) def. Daniella Kensinger/Samaya Morin (ASU) 21-13, 21-17
- Ava Kirunchyk/Ava Williamson (ASU) def. Konstantinova/Reeves (TCU) 21-14, 21-13
- Izuzquiza/Navas (TCU) def. Tori Clement/Kendall Whitmarsh (ASU) 23-21, 21-15
- Gonzalez/Vergara (TCU) def. Olivia McElroy/Anya Pemberton (ASU) 21-13, 25-23
- Khmil/Williams (TCU) def. Ava Haughy/Layla Williams (ASU) 19-21, 21-17, 15-10
Game Two: No. 2 UCLA 5, No. 12 ASU 0
The rematch against UCLA (26-4) went the same as the first time, with the Bruins sweeping the dual. No match went to three sets.
Final Results (Order of Finish: 4, 2, 3*, 1, 5)
- Boyd/Perez (UCLA) def. Daniella Kensinger/Samaya Morin (ASU) 21-16, 21-16
- Brennan/Myszkowski (UCLA) def. Ava Kirunchyk/Ava Williamson (ASU) 21-15, 21-16
- Brower/Smith (UCLA) def. Olivia McElroy/Anya Pemberton (ASU) 21-13, 21-11
- Fernandez/Matthews (UCLA) def. Tori Clement/Kendall Whitmarsh (ASU) 21-7, 21-10
- Aiden/Cooper (UCLA) def. Ava Haughy/Layla Williams (ASU) 21-15, 21-18
Up Next
Arizona State will face No. 4 Loyola Marymount at 9 a.m. MST/PDT on Saturday. A second dual will be played in the afternoon, which will be based on seedings.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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