(Photo: Paige Cook/WCSN)
Arizona State’s four-match winning streak was snapped by the UNLV Rebels Saturday night in a thrilling five-set match. The Sun Devils found themselves in an early predicament, losing the first two sets. Sets one and two were as competitive as could be but the Sun Devils dropped both sets with a score of 25-21 and found themselves on the wrong side of a 2-0 hole.
“[Iman Isanovic and Marta Levinska] at all times had two blockers in front of them,” head coach Sanja Tomsevic said when asked about ASU’s late-match adjustments. “So, what they were doing is trying to power through that block or hit around it. So, when they were going around it was going out. When they tried to power through it, they were getting blocked. So, we told them to use the block.”
Isanovic and Levinska listened to the coaching staff’s suggestions and played an amazing third, fourth and fifth set. The duo combined for 39 kills and helped lead the Devils to a thrilling five-set match.
In the third set, the Devils and Rebels were going back and forth. Arizona State opened the set on a 3-0 run, but the Rebels regrouped and managed to take the lead at 8-7. The two squads traded points for the rest of the set until the Rebels went on two three-point runs to take the lead at 21-20 and 24-21, respectively.
The Sun Devils backs were against the wall, but they fought to keep the set alive, answering with a five-point run to win the set 26-24. Battling back from that set cut the match deficit to one set and gave life to a young Devils team.
The fourth set was just as competitive as the first three sets, but momentum gave the Sun Devils the edge. Annika Larson set the tone in the fourth set by displaying an immense amount of effort. The 5-foot-4 libero was found all over the court and saved almost every ball that was in her vicinity. Tomasevic called Larson a stud for her performance.
“One thing about Annika is she just goes for (it),” Tomasevic explained. “She is relentless.”
Larson helped the Devils win the fourth set, totaling a career-high 30 digs, and setting the tone for her teammates. But the turning point in the set was when freshman libero, Meadow Cooper, dug a ball out from UNLV’s setter, Arien Fafard. This play kept the Devils into the game and gave them the opportunity to go ahead. The Devils finished the set on a 5-0 run and just like that, the Devils secured a 25-17 victory.
Isanovic and Levinska played great in the third and fourth set, but Tomasevic said that in order for this team to meet its goals they also need production from a third member.
“Both Marta and Iman and one more person (need) to be really good,” Tomasevic claimed. “So, we’re going to have to get three people in double digits (in kills).”
Tonight, Claire Jeter was that third piece. But Tomsevic said Jeter needed to produce for the Sun Devils earlier in the match.
On top of Isanovic, Levinska and Jeter’s top-notch performances, the Sun Devils had help from middle blocker Ella Snyder. Snyder helped Isanovic and Levinska get going and played a key role in forcing a fifth set. Tomasevic credited Snyder for “keeping the hitters in rhythm,” adding, “offensive rhythm is really important in a game.”
As well as the Devils played in sets three and four, it wasn’t enough to hold back the veteran-laden Rebels. The Devils held an early 2-1 lead in the beginning stages of the fifth set, but the Rebels would go on a 5-0 run and wouldn’t look back. After a timeout from Arizona State, Tomasevic’s squad managed to play a little bit better, but the damage had already been done. The Rebels won the fifth set 15-11 and escaped Tempe with a 3-2 victory.
The non-conference closing loss to UNLV comes against an experienced team that finished last season as the No. 6 team in the country. But Devils outside hitter, Iman Isanovic, stressed that her “biggest pet peeve is losing in five sets.”
Isanovic said that she thinks the team can be more consistent before heading into the second part of the season. She also recognized that the team is young and does not have a lot experience in Tomasevic’s system.
“Go back to basics,” Isanovic said of what ASU must do to have more success. I feel like the fifth set was like us being maybe, inconsistent.”
The Devils will open Pac-12 play against Arizona on Thursday, Sept. 23 at Desert Financial Arena. But before heading into conference play, Tomasevic said she wants her team to focus on coming out of the gate strong. She emphasized this point by pointing out that the Devils have won all of their matches when they have won their first set, so early success is a need rather than a want for ASU.
