ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils set to rematch Buffaloes and Utes in Tempe following empty road trip

(Photo: Paige Cook/WCSN)

With just six regular season matches remaining, the Sun Devils’ window to the postseason is narrowing.

At a conference record of 6-8, head coach Sanja Tomasevic finds her group in the bottom-half of the Pac-12 Conference. In lockstep with in-state rival Arizona and USC, ASU must put forth consistently stellar performances to have a shot at grabbing an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.

Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, consistency has been rather unfamiliar with Arizona State’s play this year.

In their first seven matches, ASU managed just one victory over California, a team that remains winless against conference opponents. In one respect, this mediocre start buried any hopes for a successful 2021 campaign. In another, the team’s display of grit in many of their losses did spark a dash of hope; four of Arizona State’s six losses across this span went the distance.

When they stood toe-to-toe with top-ranked squads like Oregon and Washington, it signaled to many followers of the team their true proximity to success. But coming so close to victory so often wouldn’t change Arizona State’s status in the win-loss column. They’d need to deliver in the fifth set.

In the most unlikely of moments, the Sun Devils did just that. Facing off against a UCLA team that currently sits at the top of the Pac-12, Tomasevic and company powered through their prior struggles in the fifth set to complete a shocking reverse sweep.

As sudden as a crack of thunder, the team from Tempe ripped off four more consecutive victories, with marquee wins against nationally ranked Utah and Stanford. Just like that, Arizona State women’s volleyball put themselves on the map. Heading into their rematches against the Washington schools last weekend, the Sun Devils boasted 30 national votes.

But for ASU fans, the fun would stop there.

In a matter of days, the Sun Devils would fall in demoralizing fashion. The Huskies flexed constant domination in all aspects of the match, taking it in sweeping fashion and outscoring the Devils 75-49. As a follow-up, ASU came out hot in Pullman before WSU’s top talent laid waste to close competition for the next three sets.

Scratching out a reduced nine votes in the NCAA polls, Arizona State (13-12, 6-8 Pac-12) returns to Desert Financial Arena to face off against Colorado and Utah, both of which contributed to ASU’s prior five-match win streak.

Colorado (14-9, 5-9 Pac-12):

Friday afternoon will mark the Buffaloes’ second encounter of the Sun Devils this season.

In their first matchup, ASU collected the win in four sets behind four stellar performances from junior outside Iman Isanovic, sophomore opposite Marta Levinska, sophomore middle Claire Jeter and freshman outside Geli Cyr. Each of these Sun Devils hit for double-digit kills.

In contrast, Colorado finished with just two hitters in double-figures, sophomore outside Maya Tabron with 18 kills and redshirt senior middle Meegan Hart with 10 kills. Tabron, in particular, has served as the Buffaloes’ lead hitter ever since the unexpected suspension of super senior outside hitter Leah Clayton.

At this stage in the season, Clayton’s status is a rather moot point; after two conference matches, Clayton was reportedly suspended and removed from CU’s roster for violating team rules. Tasked with filling a massive whole in his offensive attack, head coach Jesse Mahoney experimented with heightening Tabron’s touches in their first match without Clayton. To Mahoney’s dismay, her performance as the lead option was not promising.

Under Mahoney’s direction, Tabron racked up 56 total swings with just 12 kills to show for it. Hitting .036, Tabron’s inefficiency on the outside was further compounded by 10 errors.

Over the next five matches, the numbers show Mahoney sought for another solution with Tabron totaling upwards of 40 attempts just once. And even with her usage normalized to an extent, she hit negative on multiple occasions.

Across this stretch, the Buffaloes picked up wins against the bottom-feeders of the conference in Oregon State and California, but a clear alternative still eluded Mahoney’s efforts to make do without Clayton. Mahoney was left with no choice but to move all-in on the young Tabron and endure her hiccups throughout the process.

Against Arizona, ASU, OSU and Oregon, Tabron tallied 50-plus swings with her efficiency at such volume increasing by the match.

In losses to the Wildcats and Sun Devils, she swung at rates of .000 and .180: a rough start to say the least. But the sophomore rebounded. The team’s second victory over the Beavers was backed by Tabron’s 19 kills at a .260 clip, serving as a huge confidence boost heading into the team’s rematch against the Ducks.

Reaching peak form, Tabron redeemed her underwhelming play against Oregon nearly a month earlier, this time striking down a career-high 23 kills alongside a .288 hitting percentage. Colorado lost, but Tabron’s performance helped her team push the better Oregon squad the distance.

Thus, when the Sun Devils take the court Friday, they’d best not underestimate Buffaloes. With Tabron’s improved play as the focal point of their offense, Mahoney’s group finally seems to possess a renewed identity separate of Clayton.

Utah (16-7, 9-5 Pac-12):

Last time out against ASU, Utah was stunned. In a match that took place on the Utes’ home floor, the then 2-6 Sun Devils took it to their hosts, leaving Salt Lake City with a win in four sets.

Most of the major team categories went to Utah by small margins. Head coach Beth Launiere’s seasoned squad edged the Sun Devils edged the Sun Devils in kills (63-59), assists (55-53) and digs (70-64).

Each side’s top hitter practically offset each other, with ASU’s Isanovic and Utah’s fifth-year outside Dani Drews turning in 24 and 23 kills, respectively. Both teams also finished with two additional attackers in double digits; Levinska and Cyr for the Sun Devils, junior outside Zoe Weatherington and senior outside Madelyn Robinson for the Utes.

With all these numbers in mind, the blocks category was the defining statistic of the match.

Arizona State walled up for an impressive 17 blocks compared to a mere 10 for the opposition. Aside from four solos by Isanovic and nine total from Jeter, everyone got in the mix. Stahlke, Levinska, Cyr and even sophomore setter Ella Snyder assisted on three blocks apiece.

The Sun Devils’ prowess at the net also gave them a leg up in team hitting percentage for a match where offensive efficiency was not a theme. Hitting a measly .216, ASU still fared better than Utah’s .167 clip.

The loss, however, has not deterred Utah from showing why they’re now ranked 16th in the nation and competing at the top of a crowded Pac-12 Conference.

Since the first match against Arizona State, Launiere’s group has racked up four wins in five matches, only losing to No. 12 UCLA in five sets. And before facing the Sun Devils on Sunday the Utes will have further opportunity to create momentum as they take on the Wildcats Friday.

In her past five outings, Drews has delivered two 29-kill nights, one of which came in her team’s five-setter against UCLA. Out of Drew’s 64 swings, just five of them registered as errant, meaning Drews reached nearly 30 kills on a .375 hitting percentage.

On the season, Drews has measured up 426 kills. That’s good for first in the Pac-12. In addition, Drews boasts 5.07 kills per set. That’s also good for first in the Pac-12.

With the extensive laundry list of dangerous attackers in the Pac-12, Drews has made a strong claim for being at the top of the list. In what many deem as the deepest conference in the nation, Drews has delivered night-in and night-out all year long.

Isanovic outkilled Drews the first go-around. It will be interesting to see how this head-to-head shapes up at the conclusion of Sunday’s rematch and how their respective performances influence the play of their supporting casts.

Arizona State’s match against Colorado Friday can be watched on the Pac-12 Network at 2:00 p.m. and their follow-up battle with Utah Sunday will be broadcast on the ASU Live Stream at 1:00 p.m. Both matches can also be attended in-person at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe.