(Photo via Bianca Acosta/WCSN)
In the second set, No. 18 Arizona State volleyball (22-5, 10-5 Pac-12) was already down a set against No. 6 Oregon (23-5, 13-4 Pac-12). After trailing 17-11 at one point, the Sun Devils momentarily turned the tables and tied the score at 23. Oregon proceeded to earn match point but a kill by senior opposite hitter Marta Levinska tied it back up at 24 and extended the set. Then, after a long rally, ASU took the lead 25-24.
At least that’s what it looked like. Cheers from the crowd at Desert Financial Arena quickly paused as it was announced that the play was under review. After a brief pause, it was revealed that an attack error made by senior outside hitter Gabby Gonzales was in fact, a kill. The jeers from the crowd were arguably louder than the cheers. This proved to be crucial as Oregon went on to win the set 26-24.
The ruling being reversed didn’t just frustrate the fans, but the team as well.
“I broke a clipboard over that one,” head coach JJ Van Niel said.
Van Niel breaking a clipboard was a perfect example of how to describe how the match went for ASU. It was a night mostly filled with frustrations from beginning to end aside from one set as the Sun Devils fell to the Ducks in four sets, 18-25, 24-26, 25-10, 23-25.
Unusually, the struggles were especially noticeable in the serving game. ASU came into Friday’s match with 2.07 aces per set, the second most in the nation. However, not only did the Sun Devils not get a single ace in the first set, but they had four serving errors. Those errors, combined with allowing a hitting percentage of .306, were the formula for a first set loss for ASU, 18-25.
“That was probably our worst serving performance,” Van Niel said. “I thought in the first set we were serving lollipops. We kind of live and die on the serve and pass game and we just didn’t execute.”
After two tough sets, the pressure was put on the Sun Devils to respond. Towards the end of the second set, the Sun Devils outscored the Ducks 13-9. That seemingly carried over to set three, as ASU dominated from start to finish. After only having one combined ace through the first two sets along with eight errors, the Sun Devils notched three in the third set and just one error. This combined with limiting Oregon to a negative hitting percentage of -0.61 propelled ASU to a 25-10 third set victory.
“We knew our backs were against the wall and that third set we just found our groove,” graduate libero Mary Shroll said. “We were serving tough, we were in system and we were the aggressors.”
Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, this play did not carry over to the fourth set. The uncharacteristic serving struggles returned as ASU had no aces and three service errors. As for Oregon, the Ducks had three service aces in the fourth set after having two in the first three sets combined. ASU had a team hitting percentage of .281 compared to Oregon’s hitting percentage of .190, but the service ace gap was the difference maker in the fourth set, as ASU fell to Oregon 23-25.
Friday’s loss could be described with one word: inconsistency. It will be a focal point for the Sun Devils as postseason play nears.
“We have to find our consistency, that is the main thing right now,” junior outside hitter Geli Cyr said. Cyr put up her third double-double of the season on Friday night with 10 kills and 18 digs.
“Geli played really loose and aggressive,” Van Niel said. “I’m really excited about how she played. She’s been working really hard over the last couple of weeks and we saw it.”
Levinska joined Cyr in the double-double department with her sixth double-double of the year, notching 26 kills and 10 digs. This was the Latvian’s sixth match in a row with 20-plus kills, and she is now just 33 kills away from surpassing Christy Nore for the sixth most kills in school history.
Moving forward,
Cyr emphasized how important it is for the Sun Devils to avoid early deficits.
“Whenever we start out strong and we get out early there is no stopping us,” Cyr said. “I think that is a huge thing. I assume we’re going to do a lot of drills that have to do with that at practice.”
