(Photo: Grace Johnson/WCSN)
TEMPE — Like the frigid ice rink beneath the court at Mullet Arena, No. 13 Arizona State volleyball’s veterans kept an icy and composed mentality to adapt in a fiery match that didn’t start the way they envisioned it would.
At least, that’s the way head coach JJ Van Niel saw it.
“I feel really grateful that I get to coach this group because they really do a nice job of staying pretty cool, calm and collected,” Van Niel said after the game. “I think when you have a veteran team they can find some solutions themselves which is awesome, and in order to do that you have to be composed and I think we showed that tonight.”
While the Sun Devils (17-2, 6-1) swept a well-coached Houston (8-8, 3-3) team, the Cougars consistently applied relentless pressure in the first and second sets, resulting in ASU allowing the most points scored in one of its 12 sweeps this season.
Having not allowed an opponent to score more than 50 points in any of its previous sweeps this season, Arizona State battled its way through early adversity while allowing Houston to score 61 points in the match.
In the first two sets, the Cougars stifled ASU’s early offense with six blocks while attacking the Sun Devils’ defensive weak spots, leading to 29 kills for Houston. Graduate outside hitter Angela Grieve led the effort for the Cougars, and her well-placed attacks led to a game-high 16 kills on the night.
With the Cougars matching them at every opportunity, Arizona State also made its success harder by eight attack errors and four service errors in those early sets. The Sun Devils only won by two and four points, respectively, in each of the first two sets of the match.
Despite the adversity they faced, long-time Sun Devils like graduate middle blocker Claire Jeter and senior outside hitter Geli Cyr stepped up as both leaders and physical contributors.
Arizona State’s middle blocker echoed Van Niel’s sentiments, saying she felt that her team’s demeanor was key to moving forward.
“I think that we’re never really nervous,” Jeter said after the game. “Staying calm, cool and collected and just playing our game is our biggest strength. I think once we have a few kills, a few good blocks, and even a few big rallies that we win, I think that tempo kinda starts to shift.”
In addition to setting the tone, Jeter ended the night with a season-high 12 kills at a .444 hitting percentage, just under her sixth-best in the nation .458 on the year. She was a problem for the Cougars defense throughout the match, consistently landing kills in every set for Arizona State.
On the outside, Cyr recorded her third straight double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs, both of which were team highs for the game. Although she had four attack errors, Arizona State’s kills leader started and finished the night strong, notching all but one of her kills in the first and third set.
As Jeter and Cyr delivered key performances and helped lead the Sun Devils’ chilly approach, Arizona State bounced back to win set three by nine points and take the sweep. The Sun Devils dominated Houston with 15 kills and two blocks, icing the contest and solidifying ASU’s victory.
“They came out pretty good in that first set and put a lot of pressure on us,” Van Niel said. “I was proud of the team, I didn’t think we looked great in the first set, if I’m being honest. (We) kinda battled through and cleaned some things up and did a really nice job the rest of the match.”
