The No. 11 Arizona State Sun Devils (24-2, 12-1 Big 12) completed a sweep of the state of Kansas in the regular season after a 3-1 victory over Kansas State Wildcats (9-12, Big 12 7-5) Friday night.
Earlier in the week, the Sun Devils took down the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks, 3-1, to earn the top spot in the Big 12 conference, and the pressure was high to remain at the top Friday night.
“We are gonna have a target on our back the rest of the season,” said head coach JJ Van Niel. “It is everyone’s game of the year now.”
The Sun Devils shut down any talks of a “hang-over” game early, taking the first set 25-22.
The pressure applied by the Sun Devils led to the Wildcats scoring 12 errors and shooting in the negatives in the first set.
Graduate student middle blocker Claire Jeter led the offense in the first set, knocking down four kills on seven attempts. Jeter led the Sun Devils with nine blocks, and five other Sun Devils recorded at least two of their own.
The second set was a back-and-fourth dogfight where no team held more than a five-point lead.
Ultimately, Kansas State’s graduate student outside hitter Aliyah Carter and redshirt sophomore outside hitter Aniya Clinton combined for 11 kills and led the Wildcats to a 25-21 set victory.
The Wildcats carried over their success in the second set and came out hot in the third set, going on an early 11-2 run.
“They punched us in the face,” said Van Niel.
The Sun Devils immediately fought back and responded with a 10-2 run of their own, using that momentum to carry them to a 25-20 victory in the third set.
The fourth set was another back-and-forth dogfight that the Sun Devils won. Senior outside hitter Geli Cyr led the Sun Devils with five kills on nine shots.
With all 4,300 fans on their feet, graduate senior outside hitter Roberta Rabelo knocked down the final kill to take the set 25-23 and give the Sun Devils the 3-1 match victory.
“I’m a game-changer,” said Rabelo. “As a game-changer, I come in and make a difference.”
Rabelo totaled a season-high and led the Sun Devils on the night with 13 kills, shooting 34.5%, showcasing the depth this Sun Devil team possesses. Seven different Sun Devils recorded a kill on the night; six had at least three.
Cyr also finished with double-digit kills, becoming just the 21st Sun Devil in history to record 1,000 kills.
The Sun Devils also displayed a new pace of play on Friday, recording a season-high 15 blocks as they controlled the net all night.
“We’ve been moving really good at the net,” said graduate student libero Mary Shroll. “I think when you have our speed in our gym, and then you play teams like that, you got a lot of time to get there.”
The Sun Devils have put up three straight double-digit block games for the first time this season.
After the University of Arizona’s upset victory over Kansas Friday night, the Sun Devils will enter their road trip alone at the top of the Big 12. The Sun Devils will travel to West Virginia (8-15, Big 12 2-10) Thursday and close their road trip in Cincinnati (13-9, Big 12 4-7) Saturday.
“We control our destiny. The only thing we can control is the next match,” said Van Niel.
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