(Photo via Brendan O’Keeffe/WCSN)
Arizona State women’s volleyball came into Oregon on Friday night looking to establish itself against its first ranked opponent of the season. Instead, the Sun Devils received a reality check.
ASU was easily swept for the second straight match, losing to the Ducks 17-25, 15-25, 12-25. The Sun Devils now fall to 7-8 on the season and 1-2 in Pac-12 Conference play.
The Sun Devils again fell victim to falling behind in sets and having to dig themselves out of a hole.
ASU started the first set strong, trading blows with Oregon’s powerful hitters. The Ducks soon went on a four-point scoring streak to take the first substantial lead of the match at 16-11.
While Oregon’s offense shined, the ASU couldn’t produce an attack outside senior outside hitter Iman Isanovic and junior outside hitter Marta Levinska, as no other Sun Devil recorded a kill until sophomore outside hitter Geli Cyr earned ASU’s 14th point of the set.
Senior outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller and senior opposite hitter Gloria Mutiri led the way for the Ducks, keeping the ASU blockers on their feet with a combination of spikes and dumps. Oregon maintained its lead and ended the set with a sneaky dump by redshirt junior setter Hannah Pukis, winning it 25-17.
The second set started with a dominating stretch from Oregon’s freshman outside hitter Mimi Colyer. She tallied a block, two kills and two aces in the first seven points for the Ducks, giving them an early three-point lead. However, the Sun Devils were able to rally back and tie the set at nine a piece. Despite gaining momentum, Oregon came right back with a five-point scoring run, with three kills coming from Mutiri. The Sun Devils were unable to get out of the hole this time, as the Ducks went on to score six of the last seven points to win the set 25-15.
The final set started off with a service error from senior setter Shannon Shields, which would fit the theme for the reeling Sun Devils. A six-point scoring streak would give Oregon a commanding 14-6 lead halfway through.
Isanovic was uncharacteristically quiet in the second and third sets. She earned a kill to make it 8-15 in the third, her first since the score was 2-3 in the second. The Ducks would continue to dominate the final frame, more than doubling the Sun Devils’ total in the final set.
Oregon ended the match with 50 kills on a .420 hitting percentage, a far cry from ASU’s 26 kills on a .124 clip. Mutiri led the Ducks with 14 kills, and Colyer and Nuneviller each attained a double-double in kills and digs.
Levinska led ASU with nine kills, followed by Isanovic with seven.
The Sun Devils will look to end their cold streak against the Oregon State Beavers on Sunday at 12 p.m. MST.
