(Photo: Travis David V Whittaker/WCSN)
It was a tale of two teams for the Sun Devils in Sunday’s matchup with No. 20 California. Arizona State (13-12, 5-9 Pac-12) fell for the fourth consecutive match (25-18, 18-25, 20-25, 27-25, 12-15), dropping to four games below .500 in Pac-12 conference play this season.
After a disappointing performance against the No. 5 ranked Stanford Cardinal Thursday night in Tempe, Arizona State came out seeking to turn the tides against Cal. The Sun Devils appeared ready to compete in the first set, storming to an impressive early lead. ASU maintained a sizeable, safe distance from the Golden Bears, leading by no less than two points for the majority of the set.
“Our passing was really good in our first set and so it was easy for our setters to hold a rhythm and keep the rhythm of the sets,” head coach Sanja Tomasevic said.
Offensively, Arizona State converted at a .395 clip in the first set. Junior middle blocker Megan Beedie led the way for ASU, converting five attempts for five kills in the Devils’ first set victory.
ASU offensive’s pressure came directly from their outside hitters. Junior outside hitter Andrea Mitrovic netted a match-high 20 kills with a hitting percentage of .395 against Cal.
With momentum in hand for set two, Arizona State attempted to take control of the match. This perceived control was anything but the fact for the Devils.
Trading points back-and-forth for the first seven points, a 13-7 Cal run allowed the Golden Bears to take the second set 25-17 to tie the match at one set apiece.
“As we went to the second set our passing wasn’t like dimes. It wasn’t perfect,” Tomasevic said. “It was a little bit off the net, medium passes and our setters’ randomness wasn’t good at that point. So, they were setting a lot of balls kind of like out of rhythm and when the perfect pass happened it was kind of like once in a few.
In the third set, California continued their offensive pressure, tactically exposing Arizona State’s defensive misalignments. Cal crafted three runs of 3-0 or better in the third set. Cal’s Mima Mircovic and Bailee Huizenga accumulated 18 kills on the night.
Arizona State established an early 11-3 lead in the fourth set, but Cal continually crawled back into the set. Arizona State prevailed after Cal tied the match at 24 each late in the set. Libero Courtney Leffel collected the set winner for ASU after a Cal handling error. Leffel was the match leader in digs with 23 while earning her 1,400-career digs.
With a potential top-20 victory in sight, Arizona State cracked under pressure in the fifth set. After trading points throughout the set, tactical errors suppressed any chance of a Sun Devil comeback late. A service error by ASU gave California the five-set victory.
“These girls just don’t know how to play under pressure,” said Tomasevic.
The Sun Devils will need to convert on potential victories in the final six Pac-12 conference games if they want to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. With matches against the Oregon schools, the Washington schools, USC and Arizona, ASU will need to win at least three of the next six games.
“I think all of our goals is to make this tournament and that’s what we’ve been thinking about, during every single game.”
