(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)
The ASU Sun Devils (10-14 overall, 0-12 in Pac-12 play) competed against the Cal Golden Bears (13-10 overall, 4-8 in Pac-12 play) in a contest between two teams at the bottom of the table.
The match was especially significant for the Sun Devils, as head coach Sanja Tomasevic gave birth to her baby daughter, Stella Maria, just nine hours before the first serve.
The Devils’ sophomore outside hitter Ivana Jeremic did not participate in the game due to an apparent left ankle injury in her last match, and her absence was felt throughout.
“Ivana is getting better,” Sun Devil interim head coach Carlos Moreno said. “We think she’ll be able to travel with us to California this weekend.”
A sloppy beginning for the Devils saw a Golden Bears lead extend to eight midway through at 16-8. The Devils looked sluggish hitting only .031 after the first set. After a DNP in her last game, freshman outside hitter Griere Hughes came into the game and ended the first with two kills. For the Golden Bears, freshman outside hitter Mima Mirkovic led the team offensively with five. The Golden Bears took the first set, albeit a forgettable one for the Devils, 25-14 on blatant miscommunication that cost them the point.
After only seven total kills in the first set, the Devils hoped to bounce back with some added offensive production in set two. However, it still was not a great offensive night for them as they had only 36 kills as a team overall, compared to Cal’s 53. Still, they came out better in set two and maintained a six-point lead early. A number of questionable calls got the Golden Bears back into the set, however, the Sun Devils kept their momentum and finished it on a kill from senior middle blocker Oluoma Okaro 25-22, tying the match 1-1.
“It wasn’t about Cal, we were more aggressive in set two,” Moreno said. “It was about our side, if we are aggressive all the time we can play against anyone.”
The third set remained close throughout. Both Okaro and Hughes reached the double-digit mark in kills by the end of the set with 14 and 10 respectively. Cal’s Mirkovic reached 12, and freshman middle blocker Preslie Anderson beat her previous career high in kills with 11 at the end of the match. A late surge from the Golden Bears saw them take set two 25-22.
The fourth set was very reminiscent of the first, with poor offensive production, little passing success and multiple defensive and communication errors. At the midpoint of the set, the Golden Bears maintained a dominating 13-4 lead paced by Mirkovic’s 13, Anderson’s 11 and junior outside hitter Carmen Annevelink’s 11. The match ended on a kill from senior outside hitter Antzela Dempi, her eighth of the night, with a final score of 25-11.
“It’s about more than volleyball,” senior libero Halle Harker said. “We need to hold each other accountable out there on the floor and in the locker room, and we just aren’t there yet.”
The Sun Devils are still in search of their first conference win, and will look to take it in their upcoming match against No. 19 USC on Friday, Nov. 3. In their first match against the Trojans, ASU took the first set 25-19, but lost 3-1 in the match with the remaining sets scoring 25-19, 25-20 and 25-22 in favor of the Trojans.
