TEMPE – On Wednesday night, No. 8 Arizona State volleyball welcomed No. 16 Baylor in a game that pinned two of the Big 12’s best against each other.
In a high-intensity match, the Sun Devils swept the Bears to move to 4-0 in Big 12 play.
ASU coach JJ Van Niel had his team ready regardless of the rankings tied to each team.
“I don’t pay attention to what our ranking is,” Van Niel said. “At the end of the day, any team in our conference will beat you if you’re not on.”
While Arizona State came out victorious for the thirteenth time this season, Baylor made it work for a win in three nail-biting sets. The Sun Devils needed to dig deep late in critical moments, as a margin of only two points seperated ASU from Baylor in all three sets.
Throughout the night, ASU proved adaptable in their style. Players like junior outside hitter Jillian Neal were especially valuable given the diversity she presents in her game. She finished with five kills and two aces against the Bears.
“Wherever I am, I’m gonna make the most of it,” Neal said. “If that gets me on the court, then I’ll do my best in that role.”
Arizona State’s adaptability and passion showed through on a repeated occasions throughout the night. It yielded a total of 46 total kills and 43 total digs against Baylor.
In a long and tense second set, the score tied 16 times. Both teams had to focus in and draw from the strengths of the team in order to put points up on the board.
“You could feel the frustration at different times. … But I mean that’s volleyball. It’s a game of momentum,” graduate middle blocker Colby Neal said.
Despite this frustration, Neal scored the game winning point, locking in the victory for the Sun Devils.
In a back-and-forth affair, there was never a moment where either team could let their guard down. Yet, ultimately the Maroon and Gold found a way to triumph in the clutch moments and continue their hot start to the season.
Heading into its game against No. 24 Colorado on Friday, ASU’s mindset stays the same.
“We’ll have a practice tomorrow and then we have to turn around and get going,” Van Niel said.
Arizona State continues to maintain a steady mindset and a solid work ethic. It head into each game ready to do what they love to the best of their ability regardless of the ranking of their opponents.
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