(Photo: Haley Spracale/WCSN)
It was match point, 12-14, for No. 20 California in the fifth set against Arizona State when Andrea Mitrovic, the Sun Devils leading killer in the match, missed her serve and handed a close five-set win to the Golden Bears. This is the second time this season that the Sun Devils have taken a ranked team to five sets and lost.
Most recently, ASU took Cal to five sets in Tempe last Sunday. But this loss was not solely due to Mitrovic’s one service error. So much more took place in the match. The Sun Devils have taken both No. 15 Utah and No.20 Cal to five sets yet they just can’t seem to come out with a win. Here’s why.
According to Arizona State head coach, Sanja Tomasevic, the answer is simple–her players struggle with playing under pressure. And unfortunately for them, that is what high level volleyball, especially in the Pac-12, demands.
“As an athlete you have to embrace that moment, and I don’t think we have a lot of kids that embrace that moment right now,” Tomasevic said. “We have some, but not a lot.”
In both the Utah and Cal matches, the Sun Devils had several shining moments. Arizona State kept up and competed with these two ranked teams through tactful offense and defense. Their kills were widespread, not only coming from one or two hitters, but coming from a variety of hitters on the Arizona State lineup.
Hitters took smarter swings, making snap decisions on whether it was best to go down line or cross court based on the positioning of the opposing blockers.
Arizona State’s overall hitting percentage displayed their competitive offense for the matches against Cal and Utah. While the Utes hit at an overall .282 clip, the Sun Devils weren’t far behind, ending the match with a .251 percentage. Likewise, against Cal, Arizona State hit at a .239 clip while the Bears collectively hit .247 which wasn’t much of a difference but cost the Sun Devils the match.
Although the Sun Devils battled throughout much of the match against both Cal and Utah, the high-stakes fifth set poses a challenge to reaching victory for Arizona State. Though the team essentially has nothing to lose against these ranked teams, the Sun Devils manage to choke under the intense pressure of a fifth set.
The Sun Devils can clearly compete with ranked teams, but if they want to defeat them, they must learn to overcome the pressure that high level volleyball inevitably brings. For coach Tomasevic, a former national champion at Washington, the chance to play a high stakes match stays with her to this day.
“That’s the only thing I miss about playing,” Tomasevic said.
