(Photo via Ritisha Thakker/WCSN)
Throughout their final season as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, No. 18 Arizona State volleyball (25-4, 13-5 Pac-12) has battled every week and has never had it easy, even in a season of history-making and record-breaking.
The Sun Devils persevered yet again and were victorious in their final home contest of the regular season, narrowly defeating Oregon State (11-17, 6-12 Pac-12) Sunday in front of more than 3,000 fans at Desert Financial Arena, 30-28, 25-13, 21-25, 25-23.
The win avenged ASU’s defeat to the Beavers in five sets back in Corvallis on Oct. 13. It also helped the Sun Devils achieve their 13th win in conference play, tied for the most in program history with the 1986 squad.
ASU took the first two sets in two drastically different ways. The first frame was a dramatic back-and-forth set in which no team had a lead larger than three or more points. The Sun Devils handed it to Oregon State in the second thanks to an improved serve-receive game and three service aces from three different players.
The Beavers came into the match with the second most digs in the Pac-12 and continued to show that skill set Sunday, particularly in a third set that saw the Beavers prevent the Sun Devils from achieving an 18th sweep.
Nevertheless, ASU put the lost set behind itself and leaned on senior opposite hitter Marta Levinska to close out the match in the fourth set. Levinska, in her final home match as a Sun Devil, collected 18 kills in a match she considered a “down night.”
Even though it was Senior Day in which six Sun Devils were honored pregame, ASU’s future returners were the ones who stepped up in Sunday’s outcome.
Contributions from junior outside hitter Geli Cyr and senior middle blocker Claire Jeter — who announced she will exercise her fifth year of eligibility and return next season — were vital in a match that started with a thrilling first set. Both teams hit at a clip of over .400 in the opening stanza.
Cyr hit a career-high .632 for the match and collected her second consecutive double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs. Jeter also hit an impressive .588 with ten kills and three service aces.
Jeter and Cyr were just a fraction of a successful hitting day for the Sun Devils, as they finished with a .382 hitting percentage, tied for the fifth-best mark this season and the best single hitting performance in two months.
Those stats were more than just numbers, though. The departing seniors were notably excited about the program’s future and its status nationally.
“It’s great to play for Stanford or Wisconsin or something, but they have a legacy that they’re expected to maintain,” senior middle blocker Maddie McLaughlin said. “We get to be at the ground floor of building something that I think is really exciting.”
While the seniors were filled with emotion Sunday — taking pictures with their families and seeing video tributes from loved ones far away — they kept a level head throughout.
Senior setter Shannon Shields, who had a career-high eight kills Sunday, said that this season is far from over the Sun Devils, as Selection Sunday for the NCAA tournament is exactly a week away.
“I didn’t really get emotional tonight, which is so out of character for me,” Shields said. “I wasn’t as emotional because I know we have so many more games. I feel like we’re going to go so far in this tournament.”
McLaughlin also echoed this sentiment, saying the Sun Devils believe there is still “unfinished business” to be had with this season.
“I’m feeling grateful that this season has gone the way it has and that we get to have a senior night that isn’t the end,” McLaughlin said.
As mentioned earlier, the Sun Devils battled adversity throughout the match Sunday. While they failed to achieve the sweep against Oregon State, head coach JJ Van Niel remained confident in his team to complete the victory.
“Sometimes when the games are close, we still look like we’re not in it,” Van Niel said. “It’s really nice to see them battle through it today, and really proud of the team.”
Van Niel was also somber postgame, not just because of the seniors that played their final home match but because Sunday was the last home Pac-12 match in the history of ASU volleyball.
For a man of Van Niel’s stature, who before his time in Tempe was an assistant and associate coach for Utah and USC, it was emotional for him to see the elite volleyball conference take its final bow in Tempe this weekend.
“This is a conference that is built around any given night,” Van Niel said. “So much tradition, such cool rivalries. It’s pretty sad to see it go away, but life’s about change.”
ASU will now hit the road for one final time this regular season to take on Washington State (22-7, 12-6 Pac-12) and rival Arizona (8-21, 3-15 Pac-12).
