(Photo: Sammy Nute/WCSN)
TEMPE — All 4,179 fans at Mullett Arena were on their feet, cheering as the music blared and Arizona State’s graduate setter Argentina Ung stepped onto the court to serve for match point.
A back and forth volley ensued before senior outside hitter Geli Cyr dug a Kansas attack. Ung set Cyr’s dig for graduate outside hitter Shania Cromartie on the far side of the court, and she swung a shot that deflected off a Jayhawk’s arm and fell out of bounds, sealing the victory for the Sun Devils with a 27-25 set four win.
Van Niel’s No. 11 Sun Devils (23-2, 11-1) vanquished the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks (20-2, 11-1), who were perched atop the Big 12 Conference entering the match at Mullett Arena, 3-1 on Wednesday night. Arizona State picked up its 11th straight win, tying them with Kansas for the Big 12’s top spot and improving to 5-2 against ranked opponents this season.
“The crowd was huge, they were so loud,” ASU head coach JJ Van Niel said. “Over 4,000 on a Wednesday night was phenomenal. That was a huge win, a huge matchup, and we love playing in front of our fans.”
After the Sun Devils started the match 1-1 following two tightly contested sets, they found their groove and dominated much of the third set, showcasing prowess in all aspects of the game.
As Wednesday’s contest was an offensive shootout, Arizona State importantly out-produced Kansas 60-54 in kills. Despite having a low .166 hitting percentage on the day, five Sun Devils had eight or more kills, including three in double-figures. Cyr and Cromartie led the way with 15 each, followed by graduate middle blocker Claire Jeter, who had 10.
A key part of the offensive success was having a setter in Ung who can distribute touches to the whole team.
“We’re a great passing team, so that allows me to really spread the ball anywhere in the court,” Ung said. “We knew Kansas was a physical team, a good defensive team, so [I was] just looking for different ways for my teammates to score.”
Ung finished the match with 51 of ASU’s 60 assists, in addition to 13 digs and three kills of her own, contributing more to ASU’s win beyond feeding her teammates.
Additionally, Arizona State’s defense shined against one of the best offenses in the Big 12. Entering play, Kansas had the most kills per set, 14.37, and the best hitting percentage, .301, in the conference. Despite the Jayhawks collecting 13.5 kills per set in Tempe, the Sun Devils limited them to a .185 hitting percentage, as good serving and net defense impacted Kansas’ ability to land attacks.
Arizona State had six serving aces to eight errors, not far from Van Niel’s preferred ratio of 0.8 aces to errors. According to the Sun Devils’ head coach, his team’s serving success opened up opportunities in other defensive areas.
“At the end of the day the serve sets it up,” Van Niel said. “When we’re serving well it puts a lot of pressure on teams, and that was I think the difference in this match. We’re putting pressure on them, that allows our blockers to be a little more aggressive on some things.”
Arizona State finished with 14 total blocks on the day, tying its season high in that category, while contesting even more shots that don’t appear on the stat sheet.
The Sun Devils’ success on Wednesday began with mentality, as it has all season. Statistical performances jump off the page, but they only tell part of the story. The backbone of Arizona State volleyball has been its veteran demeanor, and it was key in defeating Kansas.
Van Niel credited players like Mary Shroll and Argentina Ung for keeping their teammates locked into a gritty, rollercoaster match by setting the tone themselves.
“[Ung] and Mary, they just lock it down back there, they’re just really really calm and composed and it helps everyone else,” Van Niel said. “I think it feeds the rest of the team.”
By putting together a deadly combination of composed mentality and fantastic play on the court, Arizona State has shown it can hang with the top teams, evident in its 5-2 record against ranked opponents.
As a team with postseason aspirations, the Sun Devils are confident coming off an impressive win that they have what it takes to achieve their goals.
“Our end goal is the NCAA tournament, so being able to peak, keep peaking and peaking in all aspects of the game is a great thing to see,” Ung said.
