No. 14 Sun Devils hit plateaus in loss to No. 19 Baylor

(Photo: Sammy Nute/WCSN)

A sequence of events that described No. 14 Arizona State Volleyball’s (12-2, 1-1 Big 12) Friday night match against No. 19 Baylor (10-3, 2-0 Big 12) came in the second set when ASU trailed 16-20. The Sun Devils were struggling to erase the four-point deficit Baylor took over them earlier in the set, and already down 1-0, ASU couldn’t let Baylor jump to a two-set lead.

Baylor sophomore outside hitter Kendal Murphy, who gave the Sun Devils fits all night, hit the ball over the net to ASU outside hitter Shania Cromartie’s side. Cromartie attempted a dig that bounced toward the foldable chairs where Baylor fans were sitting. The ball was high in the air for about two seconds as redshirt freshman setter Brynn Covell raced toward the chairs. Covell extended her arm and curled her ball into a fist as she dived into two empty chairs, knocking both of them over.

The ball was put back into play and the rally was kept alive for the Sun Devils. Eventually, the ball found its way to outside hitter Geli Cyr, who notched a kill to put ASU back within three. This was the launch point for a 3-0 scoring run, putting ASU within one point of tying the set. However, the Sun Devils took their foot of the gas and a service error by Cyr then an ace by Murphy returned Baylor its three-point cushion.

Baylor didn’t let ASU come within one point this time, taking a commanding 2-0 set lead. A recurring theme for the Sun Devils throughout the match was gaining momentum only to subsequently lose steam. ASU showed resilience, but constant faltering proved costly in a loss to Baylor 21-25, 22-25, 25-17, 17-25.

The writing was on the wall for this match from the first set. Both teams got off to a back-and-forth scoring match early before the Sun Devils took a 5-4 lead. Out of nowhere, Baylor surged with a 6-0 run, taking a 10-5 lead. Later in the set, ASU went on a 5-0 run and reclaimed a one-point lead at 16-15. In similar fashion, Baylor erased the lead and responded with a 4-0 run. Baylor capitalized on this run to claim the first set.

Despite letting Baylor pull away in multiple moments throughout the first two sets, ASU was not out of the match entirely. This was demonstrated in the third set when ASU went on a 4-0 run after Baylor came back to tie it at 7-7. ASU not only maintained this lead, but added more to it later in the set on a 3-0 run when the score was 21-16. Avoiding a sweep, the Sun Devils headed into the fourth set showing signs of life.

Those signs of life were quickly replaced with deja vu when Baylor went on a 3-0 run following ASU taking a 3-2 lead. ASU got within one-point, but Baylor quickly overpowered the Sun Devils with another 3-0 scoring run, giving Baylor an 8-4 lead. When Baylor led the Sun Devils 17-13, ASU’s fate was just about sealed when Baylor scored four more unanswered.

The Sun Devils were their own worst enemy for much of the night. ASU had 25 attack errors on the night, 15 of which came in the first two sets. In the first set, the Sun Devils collectively hit an ugly .070 with nine attack errors. The second set was much better with a .273 hitting percentage and six attack errors, but four service errors were a crucial factor in a three-point set loss.

ASU hit .167 on Friday night, by far the team’s lowest in a match this season. In spite of this, Geli Cyr had a remarkable performance on offense with 17 kills on a .348 clip. In her first double-double performance of the season as Cyr had 12 digs as well.

Defensively, Baylor had a three-headed monster that made it difficult for ASU’s offense to get going. Senior middle blocker Manuela Bibinbe had four of Baylor’s seven blocks Friday night. Additionally, graduate setter Jackie Barrett Frazier and senior libero Lauren Briseño combined for 38 of Baylor’s 64 digs with Briseño having 21.

Baylor’s defense was complemented with the offense hitting .259 on the night. Leading the offensive charge for the Bears, junior opposite hitter Allie Sczech had 12 kills on a .423 clip. Kendal Murphy also had double-digit kills with 10 and hit .320 on the night. Baylor didn’t hit below .200 in any of the four sets, whereas ASU didn’t come anywhere close to .200 in sets one and four.

Having played for Baylor coach Ryan McGuyre, and with players such as Lauren Briseño, ASU assistant coach Preslie Anderson had more firsthand knowledge of Baylor than any Sun Devil on the roster. Ahead of Friday night’s match, Anderson’s expectations aligned with how she expects matches against Big 12 conference opponents to be – a hard-fought battle.

“There’s going to be a lot of closer matches,” Anderson said. “It’s a little bit more spread out and even across the board.”