No. 14 Arizona State defeated Houston (8-8, 3-3 Big 12) 3-0 on Wednesday night at Mullett Arena as the Sun Devils earned their second straight sweep.
JJ Van Niel’s side overcame two tightly contested sets, separated by four or fewer points, before running away in the third. With this win, ASU improves to a 17-2 overall record and 6-1 in Big 12.
“Houston came out and put a lot of pressure on us,” Van Niel said after the game. “I don’t think we looked great in the first set but we battled through and cleaned some things up.”
Wednesday was the first of three home games for the Sun Devils at Mullett Arena. Houston put early pressure on ASU in the first set, getting out to a 9-6 lead. The Sun Devils responded and tied the game at 14-14 after graduate setter Argentina Ung’s block.
A tightly contested first set saw Houston push ASU to extra rallies after leveling the score at 24-24. Ung finished the set for the Sun Devils with her first kill of the game.
The Cougars put another run of form together to stay within reach during a fast-paced second set. ASU ran out to a 10-6 lead before Houston pulled within two scores at 16-14. The set concluded with another Sun Devils victory following graduate outside hitter Shania Cromartie’s kill.
Graduate middle blocker Claire Jeter led the Sun Devils with 10 kills and a 0.526% hit percentage entering the third set, while senior outside hitter Geli Cyr followed with seven kills and 10 digs. The pair finished the game with over 11 kills each.
“Jeter was lights out in one of her better matches of the season,” Van Niel said. “Cyr started a little shaky. She was pressing a little too much early on. Her game is best when she’s patient and takes her shots, so she did well to clean it up.”
Van Niel also praised junior outside hitter Bailey Miller, who is playing in her first season at ASU. The junior from Quinlan, Texas, finished the game with nine kills and two digs.
“[Van Niel] is always telling us the things to look for,” Miller said. “He never makes me feel like a number, but he makes sure we’re aware of the stats, which makes us confident and consistent.”
Unlike the first two sets, ASU cruised to victory following a commanding third set, which saw Cyr tally seven kills in a 25-16 win. Six Sun Devils finished the game with five or more kills, while Ung recorded 33 assists on the night.
Following the Houston win, ASU has now swept 12 different opponents this year. Van Niel’s side returns to Mullett Arena on Friday when the Sun Devils host the Colorado Buffaloes (10-8, 3-3 Big 12) at 6:30 p.m. PST. They’ll look to win their sixth straight game.
“We want to make Arizona State a volleyball school,” Miller said on being ranked No. 13 in the country. “We know that in the back of our mind, we play with heart and passion.”
Leave a Reply