(Photo: Zac Pacleb/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devil Volleyball team head to Iowa City, Iowa to play in their second tournament of the year.
Butler University
The first matchup of the weekend was against the Butler Bulldogs, a team that won just 12 games last season.
The match would need all five sets to determine a winner and the fifth set ASU managed to pull away.
After falling behind early in the set, the Sun Devils used runs of 7-0 and 4-0 to sink the Bulldogs in the final frame, winning by a final score of 15-8.
The fifth set was by far the most efficient offensive set of the match for the Sun Devils. As a group they tallied 11 kills and only three errors in the set, resulting in a hitting percentage of over .400.
Junior libero Halle Harker recorded 17 digs in the match, her 11th on the evening was the 1,000 dig in her distinguished Sun Devil career.
Down 2-1 in the set, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead in set number four. Their blocking, which proved to be stout in the entirety of the match, played a role in forcing a fifth set.
Defensively the Bulldogs forced ASU into hitting -.027 in the set. Errors ran rampad in the set for the Sun Devils. In addition to 11 hitting errors, ASU also had two service errors in the set. In the end the Bulldogs took set four by a score of, 25-22.
The match got off to an ideal start for the Sun Devils. Early blocking provided the Sun Devils with a quick 7-4 lead in set one. Junior Oluoma Okaro set the tone for ASU early, notching a couple kills and three aces early on to pace the Sun Devils.
The Sun Devils coasted easily through the first set winning decisively 25-16.
To start set two, four straight ASU errors gave Butler a 7-1 early lead prompting a timeout from head coach Stevie Mussie.
The narrative of the second set was the disparity in hitting percentages. Butler hit .312, there best in any set of the match, registering 13 kills and only three errors.
ASU however, only hit .048 and had 11 kills and nine errors. Five total Bulldog blocks in the set helped them to a 25-19 second set victory.
In set three ASU quickly jumped out to an 8-4 lead behind two kills from both senior outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell and freshman outside hitter Ivana Jeremic.
ASU was able to hold off any comeback attempt from the Bulldogs. It maintained a sizeable lead before winning by a final score of 25-20.
Iowa University
The second matchup of the day was a date with the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes.
In what was ultimately a 3-0 sweep at the hands of the Hawkeyes, another milestone was achieved by a Sun Devil.
Senior Cassidy Pickrell recorded her 1,000th career kill when her fifth one dropped. At the end of the match Pickrell had a total of 1,003 for her career, 351 of which came at ASU.
The Sun Devils stated the first set strong, as they jumped out to an early 5-1 lead. Iowa was able to chip away using small runs and found itself down just one 14-13 and forcing Mussie to use her first timeout of the game.
The set would remain tight until the very end. After falling behind 25-24, the Hawkeyes reeled off three straight points to win the first set 27-25.
The second set followed the same arc as the first set. Once again, the Sun Devils found themselves up early. Iowa then proceeded to slowly work its way back into the game.
The Hawkeyes had a very good set offensively in set two. After hitting .260 in set one, the Hawkeyes raised that percentage to .357. Lead by Reghan Coyle and Lauren Brobst, the Hawkeye offense had 15 kills in the set.
With the score tied at 20 apiece, Iowa quickly ripped off five straight points to seal the set two victory 25-20.
The Hawkeyes proceeded to flex their offensive muscle in set three. Iowa hit .536 in set three tallying 16 kills and only one error.
ASU was able to hang around for the majority of the set, but with the Sun Devils down two at 18-16, Iowa took six of the next seven points to create some distance and ultimately seal the victory.
Oakland University
The last match of the tournament came against the Oakland Grizzlies. The match was another highly competitive one, going the distance before the Sun Devils pulled out the win.
The fifth set was the least competitive of the match. The Sun Devils stepped up defensively holding the Grizzlies to a sub .100 hitting percentage.
In the blink of an eye, the Sun Devils were up 11-3. Never threatened, the Sun Devils cruised to a 15-8 victory to clinch the match.
The first set went back and forth. Cassidy Pickrell and Ivana Jeremic paced the team early as their five combined kills were half of the team’s scoring early on.
With the set still tight, sophomore outside hitter Lexi MacLean stepped up and began what would be a career night offensively with four late kills in the first set sealing the victory 25-21.
The second set didn’t go the Sun Devils way. In the middle of the set Oakland’s senior outside hitter Melissa Deatsch went on a personal 4-0 run with three service errors to give the Grizzlies some distance.
The Grizzlies coasted for the rest of the set, winning 25-20
MacLean continued to step up in the third set. Already with eight kills on the match, Maclean added six more to her line in the third set to pace the Sun Devil attack.
Offensively, the third set was ASU’s best from an offensive perspective. Led by MacLean’s six kills, the Sun Devils had 15 kills against just six errors.
Efficient offense coupled with some timely blocks allowed ASU to build a sizeable lead in the middle of the set.
At set point the Sun Devils gave up three straight points that allowed Oakland to creep back into the set but a service error gave the Sun Devils the third set victory.
Despite another six kills in the fourth set from MacLean, no one else on ASU was able to generate any offense.
The Sun Devils hit a measly .021 in the set and if MacLeans six kills are removed, the rest of the team added just 3 kills. In the end, nine Sun Devil errors spelled disaster for ASU as it lost set four 25-17.
It was a career day for MacLean. She finished with 23 kills in the match, pacing the Sun Devils by a large margin.
For the second straight weekend the Sun Devils walk away 2-1. They are now 4-2 on the young season and there next tournament will be in Long Beach, California next weekend.
