(Photo via Brendan O’Keeffe/WCSN)
In the final match of its five-week-long road trip, Arizona State women’s volleyball (8-8, 2-2 Pac-12) looked to avoid its third straight loss and return home happy with a win over the Oregon State Beavers (6-8, 1-3 Pac-12).
Led by the dynamic duo of senior outside hitter Iman Isanovic and junior outside hitter Marta Levinska, the Sun Devils took down the Beavers in five sets (23-25, 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 15-12).
Despite the win, ASU did not get off to a good start, losing the first set 25-23. Oregon State held nearly all control, at one point extending their lead to 24-19. ASU then went on a 4-0 run to close the gap to 24-23, but the Beavers still held on. In the Sun Devils’ four Pac-12 conference matches so far, they have been unable to win the first set.
The first point of the match displayed an issue that plagued ASU throughout the entire day. Senior setter Shannon Shields began play with the first of 17 service errors by the Sun Devils, which matched a season high. Whenever ASU started a run, a service error would stop its momentum.
The Sun Devils held a firm grip on the second set, as they spread the wealth around to several attackers. Isanovic led the scorers with six, while sophomore outside hitter Geli Cyr and junior middle blocker Claire Jeter also contributed with seven kills combined.
Shields was the star setter for ASU, playing the entire match and totaling 50 assists. Junior setter Ella Snyder started most of the road-trip matches, but the last two have been mostly Shields. As Pac-12 play progresses, it will be interesting to see who head coach Sanja Tomasevic prefers at the position.
The third set was once again all ASU. The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with the two teams tied at 12. But from then on, the Sun Devils outscored the Beavers 13-5 to take the set 25-17.
Throughout the match, ASU’s defense was stellar. The Sun Devils held Oregon State to a .142 hitting percentage while forcing 30 errors and tallying 11 kills. Jeter was outstanding in the middle, leading all players with seven blocks.
Despite a dominant Levinska stretch, ASU lost the fourth set 25-22. With ASU down 10-5 early in the second set, Levinska scored six of the Sun Devils’ following seven points, with the only other point coming from an Isanovic ace. At that point, the score was 12-10 ASU. The rest of the set remained up for grabs, with the Beavers squeaking it out.
Oregon State got off to a quick start in the final set before ASU went on a 5-0 run to take the lead at 6-4. The Sun Devils would keep their two-point lead from then on and eventually took the set 15-12 to secure the victory.
ASU’s offense finally woke up after two matches with a sub .200 hitting percentage. In Sunday’s match, the Sun Devils had 63 kills on a .276 hitting percentage, along with six aces and 11 blocks. Isanovic stat-stuffed with 21 kills on a .400 hitting percentage, while Levinska was close behind at 19 kills on a .366 clip.
The Sun Devils will finally return home this upcoming Friday to take on UCLA in their first home game in five weeks at 7 p.m. MST.
