(Photo: Jacob Franklin/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devils (9-16) inconsistencies were on full display from the starting lineup to the final score Friday evening when they were swept by No. 25 USC (16-9) 25-27, 14-25, 25-18.
One of Arizona State’s top returners sat on the bench in the loss– sophomore setter Kylie Pickrell. Freshman setter Nicole Peterson carried the setter load for ASU. Head coach Stevie Mussie said the decision was based on Peterson’s steady set.
“Nicole sets a very consistent ball with good location. Nicole’s ball is clean,” Mussie said. “If she can continue to do what she’s done, we want to give her the keys to the car.”
As the hard fought first set battle ensued, senior outside hitter Maya McClendon stepped into the leadership role for ASU drilling four kills in the set. Mussie admired Maya’s ability to control the hectic court.
“[Maya] is just a constant. Never these ebbs and flows that you see with a lot of kids,” Mussie said. “She’s just always Maya and you can always call upon her not matter what.”
With the ASU leading 12-9, USC took a timeout that would transfer the momentum to its side. The Trojans came out of the break to tie it up at 13-13.
USC mustered a three-point run that it eventually turned into 24-21 match point. ASU resisted and a strong skill by sophomore outside hitter Lexi MacLean gave ASU a match point of its own at 24-25.
Then, a service error by McClendon put it back at a tie. USC finished the set with a block and a MacLean error to win the set 27-25.
The second set was all USC. It began with an aggressive seven-point run where junior outside hitter Brittany Abercrombie drilled three kills. She would finish the match with nine.
USC commanded the court and sliced up the Sun Devils confidence with its blocks. ASU had blocked great in the first set and slipped in the second, recording only one.
“We had really good blocks because we could read really well and we scouted really well,” McClendon said. “But they made some changes that we didn’t quite keep up to… We have to be able to be adaptable when people make changes.”
Although ASU showed signs of a comeback, USC running the 6-2 allowed it to spread its offensive attack and win the set 25-14. Freshman outside hitter Khalia Lenier nailed four of her six attack attempts after hitting with a negative percentage in the first set.
The third set was more of a battle, but ASU was still unable to provide stability. They quickly dove into a 10-5 hole. Head coach Stevie Mussie finally decided to sub in senior outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell.
“Lexi [MacLean] was struggling a little bit to score there at the end so we had to get somebody else off the bench and give them a different look.”
C. Pickrell brought energy but not enough power tallying only one kill. The spread of the Trojan offensive attack continued to haunt the Sun Devils.
Three USC hitters finished with double-digit kills while the other two tallied nine and eight. The Trojans won the game 25-18 on a service error by junior middle blocker Oluoma Okaro.
Mussie leaned on her youth tonight and they showcased the flash of talent for the future. Freshman outside hitter Ivana Jeremic tallied her first career double double and Peterson tallied 28 assists.
The Sun Devils return again tomorrow looking for their first home win against No. 9 UCLA at 6 p.m. PT at Wells Fargo Arena.
If you have any questions or comments, you can contact Delilah Cassidy via Twitter @delilah_cassidy or via email at delilahcassidy@gmail.com.
