(Photo via Brendan Belfield/WCSN)
Coming off of a five-set thriller victory on Friday night, Arizona State Volleyball looked to go undefeated in the Webb Burbridge Classic and start its season 3-0. The Sun Devils were matched up against the Toledo Rockets and were looking to do the same as they started the weekend 2-0 with wins over Northern Iowa and CSU Bakersfield.
Only one team could end the weekend undefeated, and Toledo (3-0) was the one that came out on top, defeating Arizona State (2-1) in a clean sweep 3-0.
ASU, coming off a five-set match that ended at 10:30 on Friday night, was particularly sluggish in the match and could never get their offense going. ASU head coach Sanja Tomasevic partially blames the late night for her team’s performance Saturday.
“I hate to say that the late-night match was not ideal, but I was the one who scheduled it so we’re going to have to play better over time,” Tomasevic said. “Even when we get tired because if you want to make the tournament, that is how it’s going to feel like.”
Senior outside hitter Iman Isanovic could also felt the exhaustion of last night’s marathon win.
“[Toledo] could see what was working and what wasn’t working because we played a long game against UNI,” Isanovic said. “They took that opportunity of our exhaustion along with them being very disciplined with their tasks.”
The first set began a lot like ASU’s first four sets last night. Things were close and the teams were trading points with Toledo leading 9-8. That is when the Rockets took off on a 7-0 run with a combination of great blocking and great serves. The eight-point gap was too much for ASU to overcome and, although they brought the setback within three points, the Sun Devils lost the set 25-19.
The block remained a thorn in the side of the Sun Devils as they were out blocked 10-4 over the course of the match. Tomasevic believes the Rockets’ great defense set up their blocks.
“I honestly think they got the blocks because their defense was so good. Our hitters got impatient since they didn’t like getting dug; they wanted to hit harder and then it turned into a block,” Tomasevic said. “Kudos to their blockers, I think Toledo is very well coached, they’re experienced and have great leadership.
The second set, unlike the first, was never really close, as Toledo got out to a lead at 3-2 and never gave it up; their lead ballooned up to 6. Despite a late push by the Sun Devils to bring the set within two points, the Rockets held on to win the set 25-22.
At the beginning of the third set, both sides were trading blows much as they did in the first set. The score tied at 9-9 until Toledo pulled away with a 6-0 run, which pretty much sealed away the match. The Rockets won the third set 25-21 and the match 3-0.
This match against Toledo is the last home game for the Sun Devils until October 7th when they take on the No. 13 ranked UCLA Bruins in Pac-12 play, a time spanning a little under 6 weeks. Despite the long time away from home, the team is looking forward to the time they get to spend together.
“I think the road is going to be good for us, I think we get a little more focused when we’re on the road,” Tomasevic said. “We’ll have a curfew; we know what they’re eating and how often they are eating, and we make sure they’re eating. They get to refuel, recharge, rest and recover, so it’s a little bit like quarantining. We always have fun together.”
The Sun Devils will begin the long road trip in Georgia for the Georgia Tech Invitational where they will play Dayton, Florida International and Georgia Tech beginning Friday, September 2nd.
