New Conference, Same Rivalry: Sun Devils pull out gritty win over Arizona

(Photo: Katherine Gore/WCSN)

TEMPE — In the first Big 12 volleyball iteration of the historic Arizona State – Arizona rivalry, the Sun Devils showed “the Team Down South” exactly why ASU is the No. 13 team in the country.

On a night that featured a full house at Desert Financial Arena with 4,630 fans in attendance, the Sun Devils (15-2, 4-1 Big 12) topped the Wildcats (12-4, 1-4 ) three sets to one, 25-20, 23-25, 31-29, 25-15. The win extended the Devils record to 15-2, 4-1 in Big 12 play, and their win streak to three.

The match started off loudly, as the fans in the arena were cheering from the first point, and the ASU student section was on their feet. Additionally, Sun Devil Marching Band, Sun Devil Swim & Dive, as well as multiple other ASU athletes showed up to support the volleyball team.

“We had a massive amount of fans,” ASU head coach JJ Van Niel said. “We had a massive amount of athletes. The 942 Crew just absolutely representing means a lot to our team and really, really helps to have that home court advantage.”

The first set was all Sun Devils, as big kills from senior outside hitter Geli Cyr and graduate student outside hitter Shania Cromartie, as well as excellent blocking by senior middle blocker Claire Jeter and graduate student middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede, kept the Wildcats off balanced and struggling to keep up.

Set two offered more of the same, and featured lots of back and forth action between the teams, neither side going on any long runs and keeping the score close. Toward the end of the set, Arizona capitalized on multiple Sun Devil errors and was able to take the set, tying the match at 1-1.

“The first two (sets), I think we were very heavy on the outsides,” senior setter Argentina Ung said. “Geli (Cyr) got a lot of sets. I think we were mixing the sets a lot more, so that it comes with the passing. Passing was great. So we get a mix up or offense, and that messes up with the blocking or the defense and the other team.”

The third set proved to be the most significant set of the match. To start out, both teams went on small runs, trading leads many times, and never pulling away from each other. As both teams neared the 20 point mark, the rallies became longer and the teams kept switching off points.

“It was super intense,” graduate libero Mary Shroll said. “We’ve always had that grit and that drive on defense, so we knew that was going to be huge. Just keep scrapping, keep siding out when we need to, and again, knowing that we don’t have to do anything crazy, we just got to play our game.”

The Sun Devils were the first team to reach 24 points in the set, but the Wildcats were nipping at their heels, picking up big kills to push the set into extra points. The Sun Devils had a set point six times, but Arizona was always there to extend the set.

“They were battling,” Van Niel said. “They played really well. That’s a really good team, and they (ASU) did a really good job.”

ASU was finally able to wrap up the set with back-to-back kills from junior outside hitter Bailey Miller and Cyr.

“That was the battle, that was a fun set to win, and it gives you so much momentum,” Shroll said. “I mean that the rallies, they were playing really hard, we were playing hard. So the rallies were very, very intense. It just gives you that much confidence and that much momentum headed into the fourth set.”

Cyr echoed Shroll’s sentiment, also pointing to the work that the team puts in in practice to prepare for those moments.

“It’s a kind of a testament to how we train as well,” Cyr said. “We do that all the time in practice. We train really, really hard, and you can tell because we don’t and I don’t feel nervous during that set. I was like, we got it. We’re gonna serve and we’re gonna dig.”

Set four was all Sun Devils from the start. Big blocks and hard swings kept ASU in the lead as it dominated in all aspects of the game. Kills after long rallies kept the momentum in favor of the Sun Devils, and the fans provided excitement and energy that the players were able to feed off of.

“It was just a great atmosphere to be part of,” Ung said. “I loved every single moment. It was so loud in there I couldn’t even hear them [the hitters] calling their sets. I had so much fun.”

Ung, as well as Shroll and Cyr, also had season high and career high performances. Ung dished out 42 assists during the match, her highest total this season and second highest in her collegiate volleyball career and also set a new career high in digs, with 20. Shroll had 32 digs, a season high and just shy of a career high, and Cyr had a season high 17 digs and demolished her previous career high in kills (18), setting a new personal record with 23 kills.

“Geli is playing phenomenal right now,” Van Niel said. “And she carries a really, really heavy load. I mean, she had 17 digs. That’s insane. So it’s a big deal for her, because I’m sure she gets confident. She’s an undersized kid. She’s not some of those big bombers that you know regularly have six kills a set or whatever. But she does it by being really, really crafty. She’s done a phenomenal job since I’ve gotten here.”

The Sun Devils travel to Lubbock, Texas, for their first Big 12 matchup against the Texas Tech Raiders. ASU leads the all-time series 5-3. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday Oct. 12.