(Photo: Haley Sparacle/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devils (10-5, 2-2 Pac-12) lost in straight sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-20) to the Utah Utes Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
Defensive protection lacked for the Sun Devils, as the Utes tampered down against any potential rebellion from ASU. The Utes took the early lead in the first set and never looked back. Offensively in the first set, Utah collected 20 kills compared to Arizona State’s seven.
Utah’s attack sent the Sun Devils into a frenzy defensively, pushing ASU’s backline into vulnerable positions, thus creating prime offensive opportunities for the Utes. Utah cruised to an impressive 25-16 victory.
Spearheading the Utes’ attack was Berkeley Oblad, who led Utah in kills and was second on the team in attacks. Utah’s Dani Drew and Zoe Weatherington also collected 10 kills each.
The Sun Devils battled back in the second set, leading halfway through the match at one point. Outside hitter Andrea Mitrovic led Arizona State with nine kills, while also collecting a hitting percentage of .231. Arizona State squandered its best opportunity late in the second set with costly errors. The Utes went on to win the final three points in the set, securing a 2-0 advantage.
Errors and miscues followed the Sun Devils into the third set, resulting in the sacrifice of prime offensive chances. The Utes cruised to a five-point advantage early in the third and final set of the game. The Sun Devils rotation appeared to be out of sync with players being flushed on to the floor, with little effect on the match’s outcome.
The telling point of the game was in the kill department, where the Utes collected 52 total kills, a 19-kill advantage compared to Arizona State’s 33. ASU’s hitters never settled into a routine, unable to sustain significant pressure on the Utes’ defensive approach.
“The biggest reason why ASU lost today was ASU,” head coach Sanja Tomasevic said. “That’s not taking anything away from anybody who was on the other side of the net. But ASU did not do their job today. We didn’t do our job.”
While not a promising performance for Arizona State, Tomasevic said her team needs to increase its focus for their upcoming conference slate.
“’I’m going to ask my team to step it up and invest themselves hundred percent,” Tomasevic said.
Arizona State travels to northern California next weekend to take on both the California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal. The Sun Devils match against Cal is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Friday. It can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks.
