Three takeaways: No. 9 Arizona State stays hot against Texas Tech

(Photo: Sayg Morton/WCSN)

When Arizona State boarded its flight to Lubbock to face Texas Tech, its social media account snapped pictures of the Sun Devils. All smiles. Displaying their excitement to compete against the Red Raiders. Those smiles didn’t fade as No. 9 Arizona State absolutely dismantled the Red Raiders, moving like pythons and squeezing the life out of them.

ASU’s last two matches resulted in brisk, three-set sweeps, and this one was no different. The Sun Devils made their presence felt in United Supermarkets Arena, silencing the fans who attempted to draw their attention away from the court.

Here are three takeaways from the match:

Glover showcases why she’s Big 12’s In-Season Challenge Starting Seven caliber

The Big 12 Conference recently announced the members of the Starting Seven and named Noemie Glover as one of the selections. Glover, the 2025 Big 12 Player of the Year, was the only Sun Devil on the team.

Glover often grabs headlines for ASU volleyball, and against TTU, she seized another. She achieved a season-high hitting percentage of .750, with 19 kills. Glover also accounted for 22.0 points, leading the roster.

Faith Frame dug the ball and sent it to Isabella Constantini, and pushed it tight to the net, but luckily close enough to keep the rotation in system. Constantini leaped and delivered a back-set to Glover, who had already started the first steps of her powerful and aggressive approach. Two Red Raiders attempted to set up a block, but the endeavor would be pointless as Glover’s swing was already over their reach. She slammed the ball, adding another kill to the column.

While her swinging power and ability to pound a ball directly to the ground is crucial, she also contributes to maintaining ASU’s title as the best defensive team in the Big 12.

Glover put up three blocks, suffocating the Red Raiders, who were held to a .121 hitting percentage, marking the third match in a row that the Sun Devils held an opponent to a sub-.200 clip.

The opposite also chipped in five blocks, tying for the third-most on the team.

No Mottola, no problem!

Before ASU faced UCF on Oct. 30th, the Sun Devils utilized a 6-2 rotation system, meaning they rotated between two setters on the court. The team thrived off the network, with first-year Elle Mottola pacing the offense with 315 assists.

Due to an injury, the past three games forced ASU to shift to an alternate 5-1 system, putting all the pressure on fourth-year Isabella Constantini, who had racked up 245 assists.

The transition to a 5-1 system means Constantini is now responsible for distributing the offense throughout the entire match. Rather than splitting setting duties, she has become the consistent connection between the Sun Devils’ back row and the hitters.

Constantini thrived through this opportunity, and against the Red Raiders, she finished the game with 42 assists, logging her season-best. This is the second time Constantini has broken her own record within the past three games.

With Constantini taking over the offense, the Sun Devils have had to adjust to a different rhythm. However, her ability to distribute the ball and keep the offense moving has allowed ASU’s hitters to remain in the attack, resulting in record-breaking statistics to prove it. ASU averaged a .523 hitting percentage. The next closest was .493 against FGCU in 2023.

Service errors continue to haunt the Sun Devils

While the Sun Devils rank fourth in the Big 12 in service aces, their serving game is by no means perfect.

Out of ASU’s four losses, three of them included ten or more service errors. And while sometimes they have the ability to escape the loss, that doesn’t mean the matter is absent.

The Sun Devils lost nine points from just service errors against the Red Raiders, or in other words, almost one-fifth of points lost.

Throughout the season, a large portion of the team’s errors on that front came from Constantini, as she has accounted for 38 of their 194 errors. Nonetheless, she ranks third for aces.

The contrast highlights the fine line between aggressive serving and costly mistakes. While putting pressure on opposing passers can give ASU an advantage, a missed serve hands the opponent a point with no effort. This becomes especially important in tighter matches, where a few simple errors can change the entire trajectory of a set.

This leaves the question of how ASU can maintain its aggressiveness at the service line without sacrificing important points.

Three-set sweeps have recently become the standard for the Sun Devils, and their performance against Texas Tech was no exception. With a record-breaking offensive performance, ASU continues to showcase its firepower. But as conference play progresses, cleaning up its service errors could be the factor that puts the Sun Devils above the rest.