(Photo via Ritisha Thakker/WCSN)
It was a homecoming of sorts Sunday for No. 15 Arizona State volleyball (22-4,10-4 Pac-12), as first-year head coach JJ Van Niel made his first appearance back at Galen Center since being USC’s associate head coach for the last five years.
The Sun Devils came into the match on a high note after beating UCLA in Pauley Pavilion for the first time in a decade on Friday. They looked to continue the trend of ending losing streaks in the City of Angels, as the program had not captured a win on USC’s home court since 2014.
Unfortunately for ASU, the Trojans (16-8,10-4 Pac-12) played arguably their best match of the year as a homecoming gift for Van Niel, sweeping the Sun Devils in three sets (25-23, 25-23, 25-16). The victory marks USC’s first sweep against a ranked team this season.
ASU played one of its worst matches from an error perspective since entering Pac-12 Conference play this season, as the Trojans forced 25 total offensive miscues during the match. Meanwhile, USC only had 13 offensive errors.
The Sun Devils’ struggles to play a clean match resulted in a measly .211 team hitting percentage, as compared to the Trojans’ .358 hitting percentage as a squad. Coming into Sunday, USC was hitting at a collective .261 clip.
USC senior opposite hitter and First Team All-American Skylar Fields was the standout player of the afternoon, tallying 24 kills on the match while simultaneously reaching a milestone mark of 2,000 career kills in the process.
Fields took advantage of her versatile scoring ability in each set, alternating between power, change of pace and over-the-top kills. The Sun Devils also didn’t do themselves any favors either, as Fields was left in one-on-one matchups at the net far too often, resulting in her being able to get more swings off with less pressure in her face.
Junior setter Mia Tuaniga also logged a career accomplishment for the Trojans, recording her 100th career ace as part of a three-ace performance, which also marked a match-high.
For ASU, senior opposite hitter Marta Levinska — the reigning AVCA Offensive Player of the Week — was the lone bright spot on offense, leading the team with 21 kills. The Sun Devils struggled to get regular offensive output from other players in the match, as the next-best scorers were junior outside hitter Geli Cyr and senior outside hitter Roberta Rabelo, who each logged six kills in total.
The first two sets proved to be the biggest difference in the outcome of the match, which saw USC narrowly win each set by two points with an identical final score of 25-23. The first and second sets also ended in eerily similar fashion, as Levinska was left fighting for her life in an attempt to save her team, scoring three kills in the final five points for the Sun Devils. Her efforts just fell short in the end.
The third set saw the Trojans get off to an electric 7-0 start, which set the tone for the rest of the final frame. With the win, USC has now come out on top in five of the last six outings.
ASU and USC are now tied for third in the Pac-12 standings, which sees five of the 12 teams ranked in the AVCA top-25. The Sun Devils and Trojans each have six matches remaining in conference play before the postseason begins. Every match will take on a bigger meaning in determining which school comes out on top in the final conference standings, as the race only tightens from here.
ASU is set to travel back home and take on the Rocky Mountain schools in Colorado and Utah on Thursday and Saturday. All three programs will remain united as they are set to join the Big 12 Conference together next school year.
