No. 14 Arizona State Sun Devils (9-1) gained their first home victory of the season at Desert Financial Arena on Sept. 19, after being on the road for nine games, with a sweep against the Prairie View A&M Panthers (2-10).
It was ASU’s aggressiveness at the net, hitting balls around the block and looking for shots the Sun Devils knew they could hit that made the difference.
Arizona State started the game fast, jumping out to an early 10-2 lead, and it was complete domination from there on out. ASU’s strong serving was evident all afternoon as it paced its serves into the seams, making it hard for the Panthers to communicate who was taking first contact.
Arizona State was led by senior outside hitter Geli Cyr and redshirt freshman setter Brynn Covell, who each had a pair of aces on the afternoon.
“I know they were focused on serving, so it was good we spent a little extra time working on it, and they did a really nice job,” Van Niel said.
ASU continued to gain momentum and ended up taking the first set 25-7. The Sun Devils did a nice job of covering the court defensively and not allowing any balls to hit the floor. This defense helped set up its high-powered offense, which generated numerous kills.
The second set started out even with both teams flipping points back and forth 4-4. ASU was then able to put its foot on the gas, fueled by its aggressive offense and suffocating defense, taking a 17-13 lead.
Graduate student libero Mary Shroll led the Sun Devils defensively with 20 digs, along with graduate student middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede, who finished with four blocks.
With Shroll and Kjolhede’s help, the Sun Devils took the second set 25-15. ASU capitalized on its offensive game plan and executed it to perfection, generating 45 kills compared to the Panther’s 24, and had a 30% or higher hitting percentage each set.
“When you can run your offense through everyone it just makes it harder to defend,” Van Niel said. “We talk about being a balanced offensive team and today was a really good display of that.”
Arizona State opened the third set with back-to-back points from graduate student outside hitter Shania Cromartie who had seven kills on the day. The Sun Devils continued to pile on the points leading 10-4 feeling fully in control of the game. The Panthers were able to fight back pushing ASU’s lead to just four points, trailing 17-13.
Shroll seemed to be all over the court the entire night, single-handedly shutting down the Prairie View A&M offense with timely digs and accurate passes to the middle of the court. It is no surprise that Shroll was named the most recent Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, as she plays a crucial role in the Sun Devils’ success.
“Mary’s a rock,” Van Niel said. “She’s in our leadership group. She’s a leader on and off the court. I love her consistency and her ability to remain calm. I’m proud of her for her ability to be that steady calming force out there on the court.”
The crowd proved to be a huge factor for ASU. The atmosphere was electric, with students attending from schools across the state who were cheering on and propelling the Sun Devils to their first at-home win
“It means so much knowing that I used to be one of those little kids,” Shroll said. “It’s a surreal kind of moment. I think it’s always cool when we’re home, and I think we were really excited. It was really fun to play in front of screaming children. They were very excited.”
With an excited crowd, ASU turned things on once again winning eight of the next 12 points to take the third set 25-17, sweeping the Panthers.
“Something we talk about a lot is constantly applying pressure,” Shroll said. “So as the rallies get longer, can you continually be good and continue getting these digs? And then when the moments right and when our hitters have an open net, that’s when they execute.”
While the Sun Devils’ performance was undoubtedly strong, they know there is always work to be done and ways to improve for their next opponent, especially as Prairie View A&M was only ASU’s first opponent in the Webb-Burbridge Classic.
“Communication is big,” sophomore outside hitter Jillian Neal said. “There were a few plays today where we could have got easy points and easy digs. We just need to communicate better.”
The Sun Devils will look to earn their second win of the Webb-Burbridge Classic at Desert Financial Arena on Friday. They will take on the Memphis Tigers (6-5) at 7 p.m. PST.
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