(Photo: Paige Cook/WCSN)
As tourney season approaches, teams need to finish the season strong to possibly earn a postseason berth. Arizona State (13-11, 6-7 Pac-12) is a team that is on the outside looking in but is starting to gain national attention. After defeating three Top 25 teams, the Devils earned 30 votes on the AVCA Coaches Top 25 list. Hoping to continue their dominant play, Arizona State traveled to Washington for a match against No. 12 Washington (17-4, 10-3 Pac-12).
The last time these schools matched up was on Oct. 10 at Desert Financial Arena. Although the Devils were unable to pull off the reverse sweep, it was a turning point in their season. Freshman Geli Cyr had a dominant performance and has been a crucial part of the Devils’ offense since. Cyr’s offensive play was enough to spark a five-match winning streak.
Even with momentum on their side, it would not be easy to knock off the Huskies. Arizona State opened the first set in a major hole, trailing 10-5. Washington opened the match with nine kills. Sun Devils head coach Sanja Tomasevic tried to stop the bleeding with a timeout, but the damage had already been done. The Huskies kept their foot on the gas and increased their run to seven. Arizona State would go on a four-point scoring run, but it was too little, too late. Washington would take the first set 25-16, finishing the set with 18 kills.
With their backs against the wall, Arizona State needed a strong start in the second set. The Devils were able to get as close as 3-4 but were unable to grab a lead. Washington would go on a 3-0 run to take a 7-3 lead. Back-to-back kills from Iman Isanovic and two blocks from Beatrice Badini would help the Devils cut the deficit to 13-10. Arizona State was once again, within striking distance but was unable to gain a lead before Washington would take a 17-10 lead. The deficit proved to be too large, as the Huskies would take set two 25-17.
The Devils were in a deep hole, but one they were familiar with. Just three weeks ago, they were down two sets to none to the Huskies and almost pulled off a reverse sweep. But instead of the third set following the same script as the Oct. 10 match, it followed the trend set by the previous two sets. Washington managed to jump out to an 8-3 advantage. The lead would quickly increase to 14-5 after the Huskies went on a 5-0 scoring run. The Devils managed to cut the deficit to 17-11, but the Huskies responded with another five-point scoring run. Arizona State would drop set three 25-16 and would be swept out of Seattle.
The Devils will return to action Sunday at 12:30 p.m. against the 21st-ranked Washington State Cougars (15-8, 9-4 Pac-12). The Cougars return to Pullman following a split two-match road trip against the Los Angeles’ schools and a sweep over Arizona. This will be the second match this season between Arizona State and Washington State, as the Cougars were able to sweep the Sun Devils in Tempe earlier this season.
