(Photo: Madison Sorenson)
TEMPE – Since joining the Big 12 last year, the friendly confines of Desert Financial Arena have been a welcome sight for No. 8 Arizona State, having not lost a match at home in that timeframe. The Sun Devils opened their home conference slate with a sweep over Utah last weekend, as No. 16 Baylor came in with the goal of breaking their streak.
The impressive stat held in ASU’s (13-2, 4-0 Big 12) sweep of the Bears (9-5, 4-2 Big 12), continuing its home win streak with the Men’s Swim and Dive team in attendance to add to the environment.
Not all sweeps are created equal, and the 3-0 set scoreline is unfair to Baylor, who fought tooth and nail with ASU losing each set by the minimum two points, with sets one and two needing more than the usual twenty-five points to crown a winner.
On the back of a wild home crowd, ASU was able to grab set one 26-24, set two 27-25, and set three 25-23. The unusually large Wednesday crowd was treated to high-level volleyball from two of the premier teams in the Big 12 fighting back and forth, looking for breakthroughs. The Sun Devils were able to find theirs when digging deep into their “championship DNA,” which helped them win the league last season.
“Our team definitely plays off the crowd. It was really nice to have such a big group out there,” head coach JJ Van Niel said. “You know, I feel like we executed when it mattered; we were able to close out sets.”
The comforts of home have been evident for the Sun Devils in their time in the Big 12, with tonight being their 12th consecutive home win in conference. Being one of the most difficult teams to play on the road is not just a testament to the environment JJ Van Niel and Co. have built, but also the talent and the team’s ability to never switch off in front of the home fans.
“There’s just a level of steadiness and calm that I feel when we play here, we have a really good fan base, a really good crowd, and a really good student section,” fifth-year middle blocker Colby Neal said. “A lot of our families are all here too; having all of that support around us makes it really easy to feel a lot more confident going into games.”
Senior outside hitter Bailey Miller, known for flying through the air and grabbing kills whenever she can, flashed her defensive ability, making nine digs. Sophomore libero Faith Frame just had five, as Miller almost doubled the defensive specialists’ tally. Miller has been working to become a full six-rotation player, and her work this summer has turned her into one of the more valuable players in the conference.
“She’s been doing that all season, she’s been one of our best defenders, and she’s worked unbelievably hard to be a six-rotation player,” Van Niel said. “We just know every match you plug her in, and you don’t have to worry about her.”
During ASU’s established run in the first year and a half in the Big 12, it only held one loss, which came to Baylor in Waco last season. This made Wednesday’s clash a revenge game of sorts for the Maroon and Gold, who were given the chance to right their wrong from last season. That, junior outside hitter Jillian Neal said, was what made the game have that much more importance to the team.
“I definitely would say there was a chip on our shoulder, especially not only for us, but to kind of just avenge our previous team,” Neal said.
The beauty of Big 12 play lies in the fact that there are no easy games, something Van Niel wants his team to remember when the No. 24 Colorado Buffaloes visit Tempe this Friday, a game that, after the Buffs won today, will be for the top spot in the conference.
“I don’t pay attention to ranked teams. I don’t pay attention to what our ranking is at the end of the day; any team in our conference will beat you if you’re not on.”
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