(Photo courtesy Sun Devil Athletics)
After going 2-2 and picking up two big-time ranked victories in last weekend’s Pac-12 South Tournament, the No. 11 Arizona State Women’s Beach Volleyball team now turns its attention to the LBSU tournament in Southern California, as matches against four non-conference teams await.
The Pac-12 South Tournament began with the Sun Devils’ largest test of the year, as the No. 1 UCLA Bruins dominated the Sand Devils in sweeping fashion, winning all five matches between the five duos that squared off from each side.
ASU quickly brushed off the disappointment from the loss to the Bruins, with its biggest win in program history. In a 3-2 defeat of No. 2 Stanford, the Devils snatched its fourth ranked win of the season.
“We went in and played really free and like a nothing-to-lose mentality,” head coach Kristen Rohr said. “We played aggressive and really played to win, and that was the outcome we got.”
On Sunday, the Sand Devils split their final two matches, moving to a program-best start 8-2 and securing what extends a program-record fifth ranked win.
“My hope after this weekend is an understanding that we can compete with any team in the country,” Rohr said.
Heading back on the road, the Devils will need every bit of the confidence and lessons learned from this past weekend. So far, the Sand Devils have performed well outside of Tempe. At the Tampa Invitational to open up the season, ASU went 4-0 with three wins against ranked opponents.
“I thought that showed a lot about our mentality on the road,” Rohr said. “When we step on the court, it’s a lot about controlling our side and controlling the controllables – Like giving a lot of effort, being a good teammate, having a good attitude and playing the way we play, which is aggressive and all out.”
The two most notable opponents on the slate for ASU this weekend are Pepperdine, a program that has a rich history of being consistently ranked, and one the Sun Devils have never beaten, along with No. 7 Long Beach State.
Most recently, Pepperdine (6-6) is coming off winning bronze at the Queen’s Cup in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Waves went 4-3 overall, with wins against Chaminade, St. Mary’s, and two victories over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Pepperdine is led by its top pair, juniors Kate Clermont and McKenna Thomas, who hold a team-best 8-4 record together. The two were also on the All-West Coast Conference preseason team.
As far as Long Beach State (10-2) goes, it is now a winner of seven consecutive contests, six of which came against ranked opponents.
Two pairs, sophomore Mo Gibson and junior Natalie Glenn, and redshirt junior Christine Deroos and junior Megan Widener, set the tone for the Sharks. Gibson and Glenn are 10-2 together, while Deroos and Widener sit at 11-1 overall.
The Sand Devils have two elite pairs of their own they will surely need to rely on if they want to get over the hump against Pepperdine and match Long Beach State’s impressive firepower.
Sophomore Daniella Kensinger and junior Anya Pemberton went 3-1 in the Pac-12 South Tournament, helping them earn the Pac-12 Pair of the Week award. The two are only the second pair in ASU history to receive the honor, bringing the award back to Tempe for the first time since 2019.
Senior Taryn Ames and graduate Lexi Sweeney are tied with Kensinger and Pemberton for the best pairs record on the team, each duo holding at 7-3. Ames and Sweeney help provide a stable veteran presence on a squad full of inexperienced players who are expected to contribute.
Arizona State will face off against Pepperdine and Long Beach State on Friday, and see CSUN (6-3) and Texas (0-0) on Saturday. The Matadors are fresh off a weekend outing posting a 2-2 result, while the Longhorns open their season as a program.
While the season is still young for the Sand Devils, their head coach is hoping each step along the way continues to help ignite advancements in the future.
“(We) just really wanna keep building our fanbase and getting people excited about our sport and about our program,” Rohr said.
