(Photo via Brendan O’Keeffe/WCSN)
Sanja Tomasevic made several memories at Washington.
She won a national championship in 2005. She won Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year. She leads the Huskies all-time in kills and aces. On Friday night, Tomasevic added another memorable moment to the list, this time as the head coach of Arizona State women’s volleyball.
In a back-and-forth thriller, the Sun Devils (10-11, 4-5 Pac-12) upset No. 15 Washington (14-5, 6-3 Pac-12) in five sets (25-21, 24-26, 26-24, 25-15, 15-12).
After coming up short against Pac-12 powerhouse No. 7 Stanford last weekend, the Sun Devils traveled to Seattle looking to compete with the conference’s second-best squad.
It was going to be a tough ask for ASU without its leading blocker – junior Claire Jeter – who was announced out with a back injury before the match. Jeter was expected to play a crucial role in stopping the Huskies’ dominant senior outside hitter Claire Hoffman.
Even without its go-to middle blocker, the Sun Devils would not shy away at the net. In the first set, ASU combined for six total blocks compared to Washington’s three. Multiple Sun Devils stepped up to the task, as junior middle blocker Claudia Stahlke finished with a career-high 10 blocks and junior outside hitter Marta Levinska totaled five rejections alone in the first.
The opening frame set the tone for the seesaw match, with the two sides being tied late at 19-19. After getting out to a two-point lead at 23-21, ASU closed with a service error from Washington redshirt freshman Audra Wilmes followed by an ace from Sun Devil sophomore outside hitter Geli Cyr to win the set 25-21.
The service error from Wilmes was a theme all night for the Huskies, who finished the match with 16 service errors compared to the Sun Devils’ 12.
After closing strong in the opening frame, the opposite occurred for ASU in the second set. With the Sun Devils holding a 23-20 lead, the Huskies exploded on a 6-1 scoring run to equalize the match again. Sophomore outside hitter Emoni Bush led the way, scoring two kills in the final three points and finishing with six kills in the set.
Another role reversal took place in the third set with Washington leading 23-20. Cyr then erupted on a one-woman run, scoring five kills in the last six points and three straight kills to take it 26-24.
After the Huskies disappointing end to the third set, they came out firing in the fourth behind Hoffman. The senior outside hitter was on the service line for two scoring runs of more than four points and recorded three kills and two service aces. Alongside her was Bush, who added five kills in the set. Hoffman finished the match with 20 kills and 27 digs, while Bush was just short of her partner with 19 kills.
With the upset opportunity on the line in the fifth set, ASU went to its big hitters to close it out. While Cyr dominated early, Levinska – who made her return after two straight missed matches due to illness – tallied four kills and senior outside hitter Iman Isanovic had three to anchor the Sun Devils. The two pin hitters’ closing acts allowed the Sun Devils to snatch the final set 15-12, resulting in ASU’s best win so far this season.
The Sun Devils will attempt to get back to .500 in Pullman against Washington State (14-6, 6-3 Pac-12) on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m.
