Sun Devils get back on track with win over Oregon

TEMPE — “Guys, it’s six-seven night,” senior opposite hitter Noemie Glover said, hoping to upset her alma mater. “We can do this.” Memes are always a good laugh until you fall on the other end, and on Thursday night, Arizona State did just that: an upset loss to UC Davis.

However, Friday night, with the internet’s biggest hits illuminated all over Desert Financial Arena, the Sun Devils bounced back against No. 24 Oregon for their first home victory, defeating the Ducks 3-1.

“(It felt) Great,” head coach JJ Van Niel said. “Especially in front of a big crowd like that.”

Glover, freshman outside hitter Grace Martin and junior outside hitter Una Vajagić led the maroon and gold, all posting double-digit kills, along with a 4,667-attendee crowd throwing the forks up, making their presence felt.

“When you’re balancing it out, it makes it hard to defend,” Van Niel said.

A 24-21 lead in set three left the Sun Devils looking to deliver one final smash to set them up for victory, but as they’d seen the last couple of nights, nothing was going to be easy.

In the midst of a pivotal match point, the lower bowl of seating was filled and on its feet, preparing to blow the roof off with as much noise as possible.

Junior libero Piper Rama was due to serve for ASU, and as the whistle blew, she threw the ball in the air and leaped; despite making solid contact, it floated out of bounds, giving the Ducks a chance to respond.

Rather than folding back in their chairs after the fault, Sun Devil Nation met the moment. As the famous “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes began playing, recitals around the arena followed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played in front of that many people,” Martin said. “I honestly loved the crowd.”

However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing, as just a set prior, the Sun Devils found themselves in trouble, trailing by double digits.

While Van Niel was generally calm on the sideline, he showed his frustration by calling timeouts. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, despite calling both timeouts, the road back in the set was bleak, and no amount of strategy could change that.

In life, one action doesn’t always define a person’s true character, as it may actually build it. Similarly, in volleyball, losing only one set still leaves a chance to learn and come out with a win in the end; in clutch time, ASU’s best was ready.

Last season’s Big 12 Player of the Year, Glover, got off to a slower start this season as teams have focused on her heavily, but stars always shine in the brightest moments.

In the final set, Glover erased the brain rot and played out of her mind, recording four kills, including back-to-back slams putting the Ducks away.

“Obviously fired up with how we responded,” Van Niel said. “We knew we had a tough matchup with Oregon; I thought the team really responded well.”

Her offensive ability is certain, but being rewarded with such a high honor means being skilled in all facets. In Glover’s first year at her new position, she made sure the other parts of her game were in check throughout the offseason.

“I’ve been working really hard to stay on the ground, be able to pick up a bunch of shots,” Glover said. “You want to stay on the floor, and that comes with being able to be handled, especially as a defender.”

Despite being a known name in the Sun Devil community, her performance cannot overshadow Martin’s and Vajagić’s ability to perform in the spotlight. In a year with a lot of firsts, it’s not always easy to deliver in front of a big crowd, but they went neck and neck with Glover on the attack.

“I think they’re pretty good with nerves,” Van Niel said. “They are just competitors, which is nice.”

Martin finished with 12 kills out of 32 total chances on the night, as Vajagić finished with 11, giving ASU a look at its future along with the present.

“It was so exciting having all my teammates giving me that confidence,” Martin said. “It was a dream come true.”

Glover wasn’t the only one flying around on the defensive end, as after failing to record a block in the first set Thursday night, ASU recorded two straight out of the gate and finished with 11 on the match.

“We just had to be good with our block alignment,” Van Niel said. “At the end of the day we did enough to slow them down.”

In all six wins thus far, including three top-25 opponents such as Minnesota, Oregon and No. 2-ranked Texas, it won the first set. However, in both losses, it dropped those opening frames, leading to a sweep by the University of Southern California and a shock by the Aggies.

“You always want to win that first set if you can,” Van Niel said. “Good volleyball teams, (it) doesn’t matter; you win or lose the first, you still got to reset, so it was nice to get that first win.”

It also helped that Oregon struggled to keep the ball in bounds, with 24 attack errors compared to ASU’s 16, which allowed the Sun Devils to capitalize on extra moments with the ball in hand.

“We were finally getting after it from the service line,” Van Niel said. “We challenged the team, ‘Hey, you got to go out there and hit your best serve.'”

ASU tallied eight total service aces while the Ducks only managed two, along with a 41.1 point scoring percentage.

“(The team) came in ready to go,” Van Niel said. “They were all locked in; they always are.”

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