With Arizona State playing at home for the first time this season and coming off three sweeps against opponents in the northeast, expectations were high. But against UC Davis, the Sun Devils’ defense, normally one of their strengths, could not keep the Aggies attack in check.
ASU entered the match ranked 14th nationally in blocking, but they struggled to close the gaps at the net, giving UC Davis openings to attack, allowing 56 kills in their 3-1 loss. UC Davis repeatedly found ways around the hands at the net, and kept the ball moving past ASU’s defense.
“We weren’t knocking them off the net,” Head coach JJ Van Niel said, who was 36-2 at home coming into this game. “We had opportunities that we just didn’t take advantage of”.
In the recent upset versus No. 2 Texas, Middle blocker Ella Lomigora and opposite Noemie Glover suffocated opponents at the net. The two had seven blocks each. Tonight, ASU walked away with only nine successful blocks for the entire roster.
Through the first portion of the game, the Aggies put up five successful blocks, as opposed to ASU, which didn’t have one until midway through the second set. ASU constantly made touches on the ball, but that would repeatedly end with the ball being dropped, while the players looked at each other for answers.
“We need to step up and be better. All of us are going to have off nights.” Libero Faith Frame said.
Not only were the Sun Devils struggling to put up blocks when the Aggies put up a wall, but they couldn’t find a way to fight back.
“They [UC Davis] weren’t making errors, put pressure on us, and they were defending really well.” Coach Van Niel stated after making it clear that there were no excuses for the performance tonight.
As the Aggies’ Allie Caldwell, who has a career of 100+ blocks, put up seven blocks against the Sun Devils, they couldn’t find a way to play it off the block.
Early in the fourth set, Isabella Constantini, one of the three setters who played during the game, put a ball up to outside hitter Aniya Clinton. Aniya’s powerful swing was immediately met with a block from the Aggies. The ball ricocheted off of the two sets of arms and hit middle Zoey Burgess, who couldn’t create an opportunity.
UC Davis, however, did this often. Midway through the third set, ASU closed the block on a strong attack from UC Davis’ Brooke Hibino, but the play didn’t result in a point for the Sun Devils. The Aggies libero reacted quickly, lunging underneath the reflection and sending it back into play, keeping the rally alive. The Aggies reset their offense sharply and turned the second chance into another kill.
“They played a really good game defensively; they were picking up every single ball.” Isabella Costantini said, who led the team in assists.
The Sun Devils consistently relied on Big-12 Conference Player of the Year Noemie Glover and Wisconsin transfer Una Vajagic for a high volume of heavy swings. With those options locked down, ASU struggled to find alternative sources.
The Aggies thrive on keeping the blockers guessing by spreading out where the ball goes across the net. In a recent win against Cal Poly, the Aggies had four hitters with double-digit kills, and this game was similar. Three hitters walked away with double-digit kills, and another tallied seven. ASU only had two hitters who surpassed five kills.
“They run a really fast offense, and it’s hard to stop,” Faith Frame said. “They had a really good night.”
ASU’s next match is against No. 24 Oregon. For the Sun Devils, the biggest question is whether their blocking can become a strength again. After managing just nine blocks versus the Aggies, ASU will face an Oregon offense that gives them many options to prove themselves. With the Ducks leaning heavily on their pin hitters, Alanah Clemente and Valentina Vaulet, ASU’s ability to close the net and take away those options could determine if Oregon’s offense can get into a rhythm or be forced into errors by the Sun Devils.
