(Fort Worth, TX) After making it to the Big 12 Tournament finals with a win over Utah (3-1), No. 2 seed Sun Devil Beach Volleyball battled hard against No. 1 seed TCU, falling 3-2 in the championship dual on Friday afternoon.
Two Arizona State pairs were named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team: the No. 1 pair of Ava Kirunchykand Samaya Morin and the No. 5 duo of Arden Besecker and Ava Haughy. This is the first season that ASU has had multiple conference all-tournament pairs. It’s also the second-straight season of having an all-tournament pair.
The No. 1 pair of redshirt juniors Kirunchyk and Morin went 2-0 today, 3-1 at the Big 12 Tournament. Their biggest win as a pair came against TCU’s top duo. The Sun Devils swept the Horned Frogs on the top court, the first time all season that TCU’s No. 1 pair was swept. Kirunchyk and Morin improved to 6-5 as a pair. Kirunchyk has an individual record of 22-10, which is second on the team.
Playing at the No. 5 spot, junior Besecker and sophomore Haughy went 2-0 at the conference tournament, their other two matches going unfinished. They were one of ASU’s two points against TCU, winning their match in three sets after dropping the first set. On the year, they are 7-6 together.
Arizona State is 22-14 on the year, which is the highest win total in program history. That surpassed the previous high of 21 wins, which was achieved in both 2024 and 2019.
Game One: No. 12 ASU 3, Utah 1
The dual started with the No. 2 and 4 pairs, with the No. 1 duos starting not long after. McElroy and Williamson took care of business on court two, followed by another sweep on the top court to go up 2-0 in the dual. However, the fours came up short in three sets to make it 2-1. Kensinger and Pemberton at the No. 3 spot won in straight sets to clinch the dual.
Final Results (Order of Finish: 2, 1, 4, 3*)
- Ava Kirunchyk/Samaya Morin (ASU) def. McAlister/Stephens (UTAH) 21-16, 21-19
- Olivia McElroy/Ava Williamson (ASU) def. L. Griffin/Vezzani (UTAH) 21-14, 22-20
- Daniella Kensinger/Anya Pemberton (ASU) def. M. Griffin/Wessel (UTAH) 21-15, 21-18
- Collins/Pitzak (UTAH) def. Tori Clement/Kendall Whitmarsh (ASU) 21-19, 17-21, 15-13
- Arden Besecker/Ava Haughy (ASU) vs. Burleson/Sayre (UTAH) 21-14, 3-3 DNF
Game Two: No. 2 TCU 3, No. 12 ASU 2
For the second time this season, ASU fell 3-2 to TCU. It all came down to the second court. With the dual tied at 2-2, the No. 2 pairs were battling in a third set. ASU had battled back to win the second after dropping the first. In a set that goes to 15, the Horned Frogs won the marathon set 28-26 to win the championship. The Sun Devils got their points on courts one and five. At the ones, that was the first sweep of TCU’s top pair all season, only their fifth loss of the year as a pair.
Final Results (Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 2*)
- Ava Kirunchyk/Samaya Morin (ASU) def. Alvarez/Moreno (TCU) 21-18, 21-18
- Gonzalez/Hamlett (TCU) def. Olivia McElroy/Ava Williamson (ASU) 21-11, 13-21, 28-26
- Izuzquiza/Navas (TCU) def. Daniella Kensinger/Anya Pemberton (ASU) 21-16, 23-21
- Khmil/Vergara (TCU) def. Tori Clement/Kendall Whitmarsh (ASU) 21-15, 21-11
- Arden Besecker/Ava Haughy (ASU) def. Clines/Konstantinova (TCU) 18-21, 21-19, 15-11
Up Next
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is on Sunday at 10 a.m. MST. The Sun Devils will learn if they will receive an at-large bid at that time.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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