ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils come up short in 3-1 loss to USC

Arizona State women’s volleyball started off hot against USC on Sunday afternoon, but it was subsequently outclassed and overpowered by the Trojans, losing three straight sets.

Despite an improved overall effort, the Sun Devils lost to USC in four sets (25-18, 13-25, 23-25, 16-25). They struggled against the Trojans’ stout defense, finishing with a hitting percentage of .179. Additionally, ASU had no answers for senior outside hitter Skylar Fields, who tallied a career-high 27 kills. The Sun Devils now fall to 8-10 on the season and 2-4 in Pac-12 Conference play.

ASU came out scorching in the first set, led by junior middle blocker Claire Jeter’s two early kills and a block to give the Sun Devils an 8-5 lead. She would go on to record a career-high 11 kills along with five blocks. Senior outside hitter Iman Isanovic, junior outside hitter Marta Levinska, and sophomore outside hitter Geli Cyr joined Jeter in scoring three kills, which allowed the Sun Devils to comfortably win the opening frame.

But that momentum would quickly be squandered.

The second set was all Trojans and all Fields. The Texas transfer presented problems for the Sun Devils all match long, with her 27 kills coming on a .429 hitting percentage along with 12 digs. ASU head coach Sanja Tomasevic wasn’t pleased with how the one-woman show dominated her squad.

“We couldn’t touch Skylar Fields, so that’s very disappointing,” Tomasevic said. “I wish we could have at least made some touches so we can play some defense behind. She was unbelievable tonight. Not to take anything away from anybody else on that team, that’s a good team, that’s a well-coached team. But Skylar Fields versus ASU Volleyball is how it went.”

The Trojans would build an early 10-4 lead in the set and not look back, winning it by 12 points. The Sun Devils went from a .464 hitting percentage in the first set to a .064 hitting percentage in the second.

With the match knotted up at one set apiece, ASU continued to show resiliency and poise in the third set. Back-to-back blocks from Jeter and a kill from Cyr gave the Sun Devils a 12-11 lead and forced USC to call a timeout. ASU would maintain the lead until late in the set before a Fields kill tied it up at 22-22. Isanovic was then blocked on consecutive plays before another Fields kill ended the set.

Isanovic was taken out early in the fourth set in favor of junior outside hitter Roberta Rabelo. Tomasevic spoke on the decision to bench her star hitter.

“It was tough because Iman was getting targeted in serve receive, and then at the end of that third set, she had a .101 (hitting percentage) to finish the game,” Tomasevice said. “And sure, the set wasn’t perfect, but it was .101 and you’re Iman Isanovic. I’m super tough on her and she needs that, because she’s going to sit in a press conference when she’s [a] pro, and they’re going to call her out, straight up.

“Big players make big plays, and that’s something that they had on the other side, and I know Iman can be that person for us, and I’m going to challenge her to be that.”

The Trojans once again got out to an early lead in the fourth set, and this time it wouldn’t be relinquished. USC ended the match with 61 kills compared to the Sun Devils’ 42. Overall, Tomasevic was disappointed in her group’s effort after the first set.

“We couldn’t maintain our discipline and composure and that’s something that we’ve been talking about with our team,” Tomasevic said. “Nobody’s ever questioning the will and the want to win, of course we do. I thought our discipline and our composure starting the second set went really down, big time. Even in the third set when we were up and winning and all that, I didn’t like how we were playing.”

The Sun Devils will look to bounce back against California on Friday.