(Photo courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
TEMPE, Ariz. — In a dominant conclusion to the regular season home schedule, No. 12 Arizona State beach volleyball swept both UTEP (11-15) and Benedictine Mesa (9-17) 5-0 on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Tempe. With all five courts winning their matches, the Sand Devils improved to a 20-12 record on the year and secured their ninth sweep of the season.
Arizona State reached the 20 win mark for the second straight year and third time in program history. The pair of wins marked a 9-1 finish at home for the Sand Devils which is their best home record in team history by both win total and percentage.
As it was the last home dual of the semester, Arizona State celebrated its three seniors, Samya Morin, Anya Pemberton and Lillie Seymour, and all of them played crucial roles in the day’s success. Seymour made her season debut, while Morin and Pemberton returned to the court for one last day of matchups at home.
“It was awesome,” head coach Kristin Glattfelder said. “We had a bunch of fans, a lot of people from the community, a lot of families and alumni. It was cool to have everyone supporting our seniors and cheering us on.”
In the Sand Devils first match of the day against UTEP, Morin was paired with sophomore Annalyse Askew, who made her collegiate debut. The duo played a tight first set on court one losing 18-21 but bounced back to win in three sets scoring 21-16 and 15-9.
“We’ve never played together before and we wanted to go out there and have a lot of fun,” Morin said. “When we ended up losing that first set, we both talked about how we have full confidence that we’re going to win. We never doubted our skills or capabilities together. Once we did, we were confident and ready to go out there and win.”
Court two saw junior Daniella Kensinger and Pemberton battle long rallies and a tight first set, ultimately winning 21-19 and following it up with a 21-16 second set win. On court five, Seymour and junior Arden Besecker played a tough first set scoring 23-21. They closed out their match winning the second set 21-15.
“We talked a lot about focusing on our side,” Glattfelder said regarding the team’s approach. “The things that we’ve been doing and working on in practice, being good at those things. Our system, serve and receive, and having an aggressive mindset in everything that we’re doing.”
Rounding out the sweep, the pairings of sophomores Olivia McElroy and Ava Williamson, along with sophomore Ava Haughy and junior Kendall Whitmarsh, won against UTEP in straight sets. McElroy and Wiliamson won 21-13 and 21-14 on court four, while Haughy and Whitmarsh took court three 21-13 and 21-16.
Later in the afternoon, the Sand Devils carried that momentum into their matchup with Benedictine Mesa. Every match was won in two sets as Arizona State swept the Redhawks 5-0.
Askew and Morin once again proved themselves as a pair with a first set win of 21-13 and securing the match point with a 21-9 win in the second set. Kensinger and Pemberton added another dominant performance, winning 21-10 in the first set, followed by an impressive 21-6 second set to secure the match point.
The duo of Besecker and Haughy teamed up for a 21-5, 21-6 victory, and junior Tori Clement and Whitmarsh sealed their match on court five with a 21-8, 21-6 sweep. McElroy and Williamson stayed consistent on court one, winning both sets 21-13 to wrap up Arizona State’s final match of the day.
“It’s getting to a point where they’re feeling confident,” Glattfelder said. “We’ve had a lot of partnership changes. To have the opportunity to try that out against Florida State and the two this weekend was great.”
The weekend not only celebrated the Sand Devil seniors but also signaled the growth and adaptability of this year’s team.
With regular season play now complete, the Sand Devils turn their attention to the Big 12 Championships in Fort Worth, Texas from April 24-25.
“It’s definitely exciting, a quick turn around,” Morin said. “We’re going to hit the ground running on Monday, doing everything in the weight room, nutrition, rehab and making sure we’re all healthy both mentally and physically. We’re going to band together as a team and give it our all for our last run.”
