(Photo via Bianca Acosta/WCSN)
No. 17 Arizona State volleyball (24-4,12-4 Pac-12) has learned to achieve victory in countless ways throughout its historic 2023 campaign. The Sun Devils’ Saturday night matchup against Utah (10-16, 5-11 Pac-12) was an intriguing new form of triumph for the Sun Devils.
Regardless, a win by ASU helped them reach 24 on the year, tied for the third most in program history with the 1980 season, and their 12th Pac-12 Conference win puts the 2023 team solely in second for the most conference wins by the Sun Devils in a season.
ASU swept the Utes 25-23, 27-25, 25-17, a similar result to their victory in Salt Lake City in October. However, how the sweep was executed was much closer than the number of sets played.
Saturday was the first time in Pac-12 play this season that the Sun Devils pulled off a victory, let alone a sweep, while collecting fewer total kills and digs than their opponent. Utah generated 47 kills to ASU’s 37, while the gap between digs was much larger at 55 to 46.
The two stat lines were fairly evident in the first two sets of play, as the Utes played incredibly scrappy on the defensive end and did not give ASU’s attacking front any easy opportunities.
“[Utah was] fighting like crazy, and they were digging a lot of balls,” ASU head coach JJ Van Niel said. “You can lose in a bunch of categories and still win … we just kept battling.”
One way that “battling” was displayed Saturday night was how Van Niel changed his game plan involving the middle blocker position. After an injury sidelined graduate Maddie McLaughlin late in the Sun Devils’ match Thursday against Colorado, Van Niel decided to insert sophomore Olivia Johnson into the lineup.
It was Johnson’s second collegiate start, and while she was used rotationally, her growth in practice made her an obvious choice to fill in a massive spot for ASU.
“She works her butt off in practice, and when she gets this opportunity to come in, she knows what to do,” graduate setter Shannon Shields said.
Johnson was not the only one who stepped up rotationally, as junior libero Jaden Ravnsborg — who held a major role in 2022 for ASU — shared playing time with senior outside hitter Roberta Rabelo off the bench. The performances showcased the depth on the Sun Devils’ roster.
“We’ve known Jaden for a while now … so I know her type of digs, her tendencies,” Shields said. “She’s just an overall great vibe on the court and has incredible confidence.”
Like much of the season, Sun Devil fans witnessed yet another masterclass from senior opposite hitter Marta Levinska, as the three-time Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week tallied 20 or more kills for the third consecutive match.
The second set was most exemplary of Levinska’s dominance Saturday, as she came through not only at the net but in numerous other areas as well, reiterating her case for being one of the best all-around players in the collegiate game today.
“I was in my groove for sure then,” Levinska said about her second set performance. “And I felt pretty comfortable a lot tonight. I tried to be aggressive with my serve and get some big touches … just try to do the little things well.”
Four regular season matches remain now for ASU, including next Friday’s highly-anticipated rematch with No. 6 Oregon (22-5, 12-4 Pac-12), who the Sun Devils upset in Eugene on Oct. 15.
Even with the opportunity to take down the Ducks for a second time, Van Niel made it clear that the noise will not influence how he and his team approach the matchup.
“I think it’s going to be the same as always,” Van Niel said. “I don’t get into things like revenge or high-level matchups … We got to come out fast and ready, which I think we struggled with tonight.”
