Cyr and Ung spark connection in No. 14 Sun Devils 3-0 sweep over Memphis

(Photo: Sammy Nute/WCSN)

On a night when the home crowd at Desert Financial Arena was fired up for the Sun Devils, senior outside hitter Geli Cyr and graduate student setter Argentina Ung brought their own heat to the match, making an impact with their blazing connection on the court.

On Day 2 of the Webb-Burnbridge Classic, Arizona State beat the Memphis Tigers three sets to none. While the win was definitely a team effort, with six players registering kills, no one on the team had a bigger impact than Cyr. Her 13 kills were the highest on the team by far, and her .650 hitting percentage was her personal season-high. Cyr had double-digit kills for the sixth time this season and did so without registering an error.

In her fourth year at ASU, Cyr has certainly seen her fair share of ups and downs but feels that the tide is turning in favor of the Sun Devils, and the attention the team is getting is only growing.

“I feel very honored to be a part of a group of girls who’s bringing more attention to (volleyball), because you could tell the fans were there to watch tonight, and that’s really something I haven’t seen in Arizona,” Cyr said.

Ung, in her first season at Arizona State after transferring from Washington State, has already been showing why she was named a Pac-12 Honorable Mention and All-American Honorable Mention in 2023. She has already surpassed 350 assists this season, bringing her just over 100 assists away from 3,000 in her career.

On the court Friday night, the duo were unstoppable, providing a huge spark to an Arizona State team that fought through 12 service errors. The formidable pair was able to overcome the deficit from the service line with their connection at the net.

“(Ung) has a really good ability to find the pin, and that has been really, really helpful,” Cyr said. “We run our tempo pretty fast, and when we got in the gym, she picked it up right away.”

Cyr also cites the pair’s friendship as part of their success, a sentiment that Ung echoed.

“I feel like we have good communication,” Ung said. “We communicate, good or bad, and we just aren’t afraid to speak up with each other.”

Head coach JJ Van Niel also mentioned the communication skills that Ung brings to her new team.

“She’s definitely a leader, especially on the court, and I think she’s really very cool, calm, and collected, and has a really nice demeanor for talking to her teammates.” Van Niel said.

The connection between Ung and Cyr has been working for them all season, as Cyr has been averaging over 10 kills a match. From a crowd perspective, Ung and Cyr had plenty to say about the fans filling the stands. The 3,893 cheering fans made for an electric environment that the players took notice of.

“That was awesome,” Cyr said. “I have not seen that many people at a home opener in my four years of being here. And for the first time, to have all those fans in here, they stayed the whole time, they were loud, and they were locked in.”

Ung also acknowledged the crowd’s impact on the game. “I’ve played here before, and I’ve never seen this gym as packed as I saw it tonight,” Ung said. “So I’m just blessed and happy to be a part of this team now, and that we just bring such a good crowd in.”

Both players mentioned the full 942 Crew student section, where the excited students wore their new Sweet 16 T-shirts to commemorate the Devils’ trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season. However, for all the excitement of the evening, Cyr, Ung, and Van Niel all emphasized the importance of finishing out the tournament on a positive note heading into Big-12 play.

“I feel like we’ve been doing great so far,” Ung said. “We know TCU is a good team as well as Baylor, but we don’t look ahead of any other team, so we’re just focused on Montana State tomorrow.”