(Photo: Brendan Belfield/WCSN)
Friday afternoon marked the second time Colorado (14-10, 5-10 Pac-12 Conference) and Arizona State Volleyball (14-12, 7-8 Pac-12) had matched up this season. The last time the two matched up, ASU had traveled to Boulder where the Sun Devils came out victorious in four sets.
Although consistency has been a problem for ASU all season long, it didn’t appear to be the case on Friday. The Sun Devils managed to repeat the outcome they had at Boulder by beating the Buffaloes in four sets.
ASU started the first set in a hole as they found themselves down 10-7. But that would quickly change when junior outside hitter Iman Isanovic would lead a 3-0 scoring burst. This was the first of many scoring bursts and would help give the Sun Devils the lead.
“I would like to see us execute more on free balls and perfect passes, it felt like we had plenty of opportunities, especially on free balls, where I felt like we would get in trouble,” ASU head coach Sanja Tomasevic said. “That should be a no-brainer for a team of our level to finish on free balls, so that’s something we’re going to emphasize for sure.”
Isanovic led the charge, with nine of her 26 kills on the match in the first set. Isanovic’s ability to string together multiple scoring runs proved vital in the first set as it gave ASU a 19-12 lead.
As great as Isanovic was, it would perhaps be unfair to say she acted alone. Sophomore outside hitter Marta Levinska chipped in with five kills and managed to give the Sun Devils a 24-15 lead. But once again, it would be Isanovic who would secure ASU the first set. The deadly duo would combine for 14 kills in the first set and was a principal reason for the Sun Devils’ dominant outing.
“[Iman] is our leading point scorer, we get the most points and production from her,” Tomasevic said. “She’s not going to win us games, we’ve been there before so I do like that she got that many kills. We’ve talked about distributing the offense some more for other people, [because] at some point they’re going to stop her.”
Momentum from the first set carried over, but it didn’t last for long. After ASU jumped out to a 7-4 lead, Colorado would have an explosion on the offensive end. Senior setter Jenna Ewert and freshman outside hitter Jahara Campbell lead the Buffaloes on a 12-0 scoring run, giving Colorado a 20-12 lead. Freshman outside hitter Geli Cyr stopped the bleeding and sparked a mini-comeback for ASU. The Sun Devils were able to cut the deficit to 24-20, before falling 25-20 in the set.
“We were not executing,” Tomasevic said of the 12-0 Colorado run. “I don’t think those serves were tough. We got quite a few perfect passes in that moment. Our serve receive was still okay. We were doing our job. But our setting and hitting at those moments was not good.”
The third set started in favor of Colorado. A combination of ASU errors and Colorado kills gave the Buffaloes an early 6-4 lead. Neither team was able to gain much momentum and looked to be in a stalemate. That was until Isanovic and Cyr would break it by going on a 3-0 scoring run. This run would give the Sun Devils a 15-12 lead.
After the run, a media timeout was called that breathed life in Colorado. Colorado would outscore ASU 6-3, forcing Tomasevic to call a timeout. The Buffaloes were in the driver’s seat with a 20-18 lead, but the Sun Devils would respond with a 4-0 scoring run giving them a 21-20 lead. A timeout by Colorado would get the Buffaloes within one, but ASU would prevail, taking the third set 25-22.
With momentum and a 2-1 match lead on their side, it appeared the Sun Devils would pull away in the fourth set. Kills by Isanovic and Cyr and errors by the Buffaloes would give ASU a 10-6 lead. With their backs against the wall though, Colorado would fight to tie the set at 16. The Buffaloes would then go on a scoring run, giving them a 20-16 lead. Another five-setter seemed inevitable, but ASU stormed back into the match, tying it at 23. To try and turn the tables, Buffaloes’ head coach Jesse Mahoney called a timeout. But the damage had already been done, as ASU would outscore Colorado 4-2, taking the set 27-25.
During the match, sophomore outside hitter Marta Levinska set a new career-high with 20 digs. The performance also included 19 kills, securing her 15th double-double of the season.
“It was an up-and-down game on both sides, no team ever really settled in,” Tomasevic said. “I’m happy we took care of business and won in the fourth set, I really wasn’t crazy about the flow of the game. It felt like neither team really got a rhythm, except us in the first set, which was amazing. But 23 hitting errors are really high for us in four sets, [it’s] something to look into and work on before Sunday.”
The Sun Devils will return to action on Sunday, Nov. 12 against the No. 16 ranked Utah Utes (17-7, 10-5 Pac-12). Sunday will signify the ending of the season, as it is senior night and the last home match of the 2021 season. The first serve will be at 1:00 pm MST.
