ASU Volleyball: Isanovic’s heroics lead Sun Devils in sweep of Cal

(Photo via Xavier Litman/WCSN)

On Friday night at Desert Financial Arena, Arizona State women’s volleyball had a 30-29 lead in the third set after the team had saved five set points from California. At that moment, senior outside hitter Iman Isanovic yelled, “this point, right now!”

ASU was determined to end the match then and there to send the Sun Devil faithful home happy, and it did just that.

The Sun Devils went on to sweep the Golden Bears in dramatic fashion, earning their first win at home since Sept. 17 (25-14, 25-21, 31-29).

ASU’s victory was even more impressive considering it was short-handed entering the match, as junior outside hitter Marta Levinska was out with an illness. Isanovic did not disappoint without her pin hitter partner, totaling a team-high 18 kills, four digs and four blocks.

She didn’t do it alone though, as junior outside hitter Roberta Rabelo also reached double-digit kills with a season-high 11 for the match. Isanovic spoke on how Rabelo’s competitiveness has helped the team be successful.

“I was here when Rob was only a freshman, and it’s been very interesting to see her development as a player and a person,” Isanovic said. “You can never be too comfortable because when you’re comfortable, you stagnate. So having Rob be that person in the gym to always push me and [sophomore outside hitter] Geli [Cyr] to be better is a really crucial part of our practice and our team every day.”

Head coach Sanja Tomasevic also gave substantial minutes to freshman outside hitter Leah Miller to help fill Levinska’s absence. She too stepped up for the Sun Devils, recording six kills and three blocks.

“I see a bright future for Leah,” Tomasevic said. “She got blocks, she got amazing digs, she had some off-block plays that a lot of freshmen wouldn’t get. I think she’s growing up before our eyes real fast.”

ASU held the upper hand in the sets leading up to its exciting finish. The Sun Devils came out strong in the first set, quickly getting out to a 9-5 lead and not looking back. The lead would balloon up to 11 by the end of the set. The offense was stellar with 14 kills, doubling Cal’s total of seven.

The second set was a true test for the Sun Devils. Junior opposite hitter Lydia Grote came alive for Cal, tallying seven of her 11 kills in the frame to keep the Golden Bears within striking distance. While the majority of the set remained close, ASU was able to pull away on a 3-0 run at the end, with two of the kills coming from Rabelo and Isanovic.

The Sun Devils nearly faltered in the third set, as they had to climb back from a 22-24 deficit. The Golden Bears had four different players with three kills in the final frame.

It didn’t matter though, as Isanovic and the Sun Devils were determined to win after their disappointing loss to USC last Sunday. The senior saved three of California’s five set points on her own and knew that her team had no other option but to win.

“For me personally, that loss against USC really hit me different,” Isanovic said. “It was a really sucky feeling that I did not want to feel again, plain and simple. I didn’t want to play a fourth set. I was just trying to flip the switch for one point because doing 10 points consistently is one thing, but we can terminate on this one point and ultimately we did.”