No. 15 Arizona State (14-2, 3-1 Big 12) earned its 10th sweep of the season as the Sun Devils defeated No. 20 BYU (9-5, 2-2 Big 12) at Desert Financial Arena on Friday.
Graduate student middle blocker Claire Jeter equaled her season-high kills tally on the night, recording 11 kills against the Cougars. Four Sun Devils tallied over seven kills as they improved to a 3-1 record in Big 12 action.
It was another big turnout in Tempe as 3,385 fans packed Desert Financial Arena.
“The crowd was awesome,” ASU head coach JJ Van Niel said after the game. “It’s so fun to hear everyone loud and cheering. It makes a big difference to our team and program.”
The Sun Devils flew out of the gates as Van Niel’s side led 10-3 early in the first set. BYU responded by going on an 8-1 run to level the game. A chaotic rally in the middle of the set saw the Sun Devils recover from multiple difficult situations, ending in a kill by graduate setter Argentina Ung. ASU went on to win the set 25-17.
Early starts were a common theme of the game. The Sun Devils took another early lead in the second set before BYU tied the game at 12-12. In the second set, ASU recorded 16 kills as it claimed a second 25-17 set win.
“In the first set, we weren’t getting the ball in the middle,” Van Niel said on ASU’s attacking power in the second set. “That was a big emphasis during the switch: we have two great middles, and we’re going to get the ball to them.”
Graduate middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede once again proved to be an essential piece for ASU after averaging a 0.750% hit percentage and seven kills by the start of the third set. Kjoldede continued her impressive form after recording 12 kills in the Sun Devils’ last victory against Utah on Wednesday.
ASU wrapped up the third set with two kills from junior outside hitter Bailey Miller. Ung ended the game with 31 assists as ASU got its third Big 12 win in front of over 3,000 supporters.
“When we have a big crowd, you can see the other teams start to make errors,” Ung said. “It’s a huge advantage for us, and we love to play at home. I’m happy to see the crowd getting involved.”
The Sun Devils will return to Desert Financial Arena on Oct. 9, when ASU faces the University of Arizona (12-3, 1-3 Big 12) at 7 p.m., a rivalry everyone is excited about.
“I’m excited for it,” Ung said. “At the end of the day, it’s just another game. We need to stay focused, but it’s exciting to be part of this rivalry.”
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