ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils sweep No. 15 Washington behind strong middle presence

(Photo: Travis David V Whittaker/WCSN)

After falling in their Pac-12 home opener to Washington State on Friday, Arizona State bounced back on Sunday, sweeping the No. 15 Washington Huskies (25-23, 25-17, 25-22) to earn their fourth conference win.

The win marks Arizona State’s second sweep of a top 15 team this season. After the Devils swept Oregon in Eugene a week prior, some thought the victory was a one-off. After Sunday’s win, ASU head coach Sanja Tomasevic had a different view.

“People want to say Oregon is a fluke,” Tomasevic said. “I want to say Friday was a fluke.”

ASU opened the game hot and two aces from Courtney Leffel helped them jump out to a quick 5-2 lead. A few long rallies took place in the middle of the first set, and Leffel’s defense helped keep the lead against a Washington attack that was very strong on the pins.

The Sun Devils’ hot start cooled as Washington managed to tie the game 23-23. However, a key timeout by Tomasevic refocused the team and propelled them to a close win.

In set two, Arizona State stepped their play up a notch, while the Huskies seemed to be falling apart. ASU led by as much as nine and went through two sets without trailing. However, the Huskies were not ready to roll over. Junior outside hitter Kara Bajema racked up five kills and a block in the third set alone, as the Huskies took an early lead.

While down 12-15 in the third set, Callie Jones and Ivana Jeremic linked up for an up-tempo tandem swing that helped turn the tides in ASU’s favor. The Sun Devils tied it up at 15, and again at 19 after the Huskies took four of five points.

As the game came to its final points, Danica Krstonosic subbed in for the first time in the game as a blocking specialist and recorded one block. Her presence forced an attack error for the match’s final point.

“She’s been working to be that person to come into the front row when people are trying to expose Nicole,” Tomasevic said.

Middles Carmen Unzue and Megan Beedie led the way for Arizona State’s offense combining for fifteen kills, and Alyse Ford hit the ball hard all night recording seven kills, including a crucial out-of-system kill late in the first set. As effective a the middle attack was, Tomasevic said she wants to get the middle attack even more involved in transition, helping to make their offense even more efficient.

With another ranked win under their belt, ASU will look to channel this momentum into a tough road trip to Los Angeles where they will face No. 17 UCLA on Wednesday and No. 12 USC on Friday.