(Photo: Elizabeth Agazaryan/WCSN)
TEMPE – The third set of No. 13 Arizona State Volleyball’s Wednesday night match against Houston began similarly to the first two sets. As was a theme throughout the night, the Cougars kept the match close.
Despite coming out on top in sets one and two, the Sun Devils couldn’t extend their lead past three points throughout both sets. Houston’s persistence continued early into the third set with two ties at the very beginning. Even with an early 3-0 scoring run to use as a launching point, ASU struggled to shake off the Cougars.
The Sun Devils got up to an 8-5 lead off a double block by middle blockers Claire Jeter and Savannah Kjolhede. However, that was immediately followed up with a kill by Houston outside hitter Ashlyn Bellamy. The gap quickly reverted back to three after ASU was gifted a service error. The Sun Devils capitalized this time and scored four unanswered, leaving the Cougars staring at a six-point deficit.
After ASU took a commanding 12-6 lead, Houston was unable to play ASU with the same competitiveness displayed in the two sets prior. Houston (8-8, 3-3 Big 12) was left in the dust as the Sun Devils (17-2, 6-1 Big 12) swept the Cougars 26-24, 25-21, 25-16.
While the first set was largely back-and-forth, Houston momentarily appeared to swing momentum heavily in its favor. Down 6-4, the Cougars went on a 5-0 scoring run and skyrocketed to a 9-6 lead. Two of these five points were attack errors committed by the Sun Devils.
Nonetheless, ASU didn’t let Houston pull away and reclaimed the lead at 15-14 by scoring three unanswered later in the set. The Cougars didn’t take another lead after that point. Additionally, the Sun Devils were more methodical after the 6-9 deficit as shown by committing just three attack errors afterward.
ASU head coach JJ Van Niel attributes ASU being more structured to the roster’s veteran presence. With six graduate students and one senior on the roster, the Sun Devils tend to have an edge in experience against opponents.
“It’s one of the more composed teams that I’ve ever gotten to coach,” Van Niel said. “They do a nice job of staying cool, calm and collected.”
Of the veterans on ASU’s roster, Jeter has solidified herself as a pillar of the program. With 410 sets with the Sun Devils under her belt, the graduate student has more experience than almost all of her teammates.
Van Niel’s sentiment of maintaining composure was echoed by Jeter after Wednesday night’s match. In the match, Jeter had a season-high 12 kills. This was Jeter’s second consecutive match with double-digit kills.
“Even if these few points are going their way, if we play our game we’re fine,” Jeter said. “Staying calm, cool, and collected and just playing our game is our biggest strength.”
Another ASU veteran with a noteworthy performance on Wednesday night was outside hitter Geli Cyr. The senior matched her team-leading 13 kills with 11 digs for her third consecutive double-double over the last three matches. Cyr’s presence was also felt at the net with two blocks.
Cyr’s performance got off to a slow start offensively. In the first set, hitting percentage was a mere .133 clip. Her efficiency over the next two sets drastically improved with a .350 hitting percentage over the remaining two sets.
“I think (Cyr) was pressing a little bit too much early,” Van Niel said. “She did a good job of cleaning that up.”
Similarly to the Sun Devils, a veteran player on Houston had a standout performance. Outside hitter Angela Grieve was a one-player offense with a team-leading 16 kills. The graduate student accounted for 18 of the Cougars’ 49 points on Wednesday night.
Oddly enough, Houston has a large veteran presence as well with five seniors and three graduate students on the roster. Nonetheless, it was ASU that won the composure battle, ultimately deciding the match. This is supported by Houston having nearly double the attack errors with 16 compared to 19 by the Sun Devils.
While ASU’s experience has been an advantage, it comes with a toll for the players. A long collegiate career tends to impact the physical health of players across all sports. Jeter not only touched on this, but explained how it’s integrated into the Sun Devils’ mindset on the court.
“There’s a lot of fifth-years and sixth-years on our team, we don’t want to go to a fifth set,” Jeter said. “Our bodies are not made for that anymore, so we prefer to get it done quick if possible.”
