(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)
Coming into the match on a three match losing streak, Arizona State continued to struggle as they were swept (25-19, 25-20, 25-19) by the Cal Golden Bears, dropping to 10-6 on the year.
The first set of the match was characterized by sloppy play of the Sun Devils that was quickly taken advantage of by the Bears as they won the set 25-19. The match was closely contested until California reached double digits and quickly ran away with the match as they racked up seven straight points to put Cal ahead 17-8, leading to a timeout by coach Sanja Tomasevic of Arizona State.
Arizona State was able to cut into the lead after the timeout as they came back with a 3-0 of their own to minimize the California lead to four. The early lead for the Bears made it impossible for the Devils to come back as they eventually fell in the set. ASU finished with a hitting percentage of .171 compared to Cal’s .312. The Golden Bears were led by senior outside hitter Antzela Dempi who finished the set with five kills.
The second set was a much closer set as it involved eleven ties and two lead changes but was ultimately won by the Bears 25-20. Arizona State struggled heavily in the second set as well as their hitting percentage dropped even lower than the first set to .093 with a kill percentage of .256 compared to the first sets percentage of .371.
California remained in a tight match until the ending of the second set as they reeled off a quick 4-0 run to end the set and come away with the set victory. The Devils were able to keep the set close in part due to an improved defense that helped Dempi to two kills during the match and were also aided by five service errors from the Bears.
Arizona State was able to make an early run in the third and final set but was countered by a pair of 4-0 runs for California as the maroon and gold dropped the final set 25-19. The last set was statically the worst for the Devils as they had a match low .091 hitting percentage to the Bears .190.
The Devils struggled mightily all match to establish any sort of momentum as they received a disappointing performance from senior star Oluoma Okaro. She finished the match with 16 kills and a hitting percentage of .152. A bright spot for the Sun Devils was the play of freshman Shelbie Dobmeier who came in during the third and final set and finished with twelve assists and a block.
California was led by a very balanced attack on the offensive end. Six players with four kills or more, with Carmen Annevelink with eight and Dempi with nine.
With the loss, the Devils losing streak moved to five straight as their overall record dropped to 10-6 with a Pac-12 record of 0-4. Arizona State will be looking to bounce back after being swept in three of their four conference matches this season. The Sun Devils will take on No. 13 ranked UCLA Oct. 6 in Tempe.
