Glimpses of team play could be seen throughout the ASU volleyball team’s first 16 games, and it was only a matter of time before a team effort would lead the Sun Devils (6-11, 1-4 Pac-10) to a conference victory.
That time came Saturday night against Oregon State.
Despite falling behind 0-2, ASU persevered and completed the thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over OSU, earning a weekend split after losing to Oregon on Friday.
“It’s just what we needed,” freshman outside hitter Danica Mendivil said. “We know what we can do. We know we can come back when it’s hard. We’re playing really well as a team; from now on we’re just going to try to keep rolling with it and keep going.”
The Beavers (8-12, 1-5 Pac-10) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with 25-12 and 28-26 wins in the first two sets.
ASU struggled mightily in the first set, but came out firing in the second frame only to come up just short in the end. The Sun Devils combined for 18 kills in the set that saw nine tie scores and four lead changes.
Down 0-2 at the break, the Sun Devils were one set away from being swept by OSU. However, ASU returned from the locker room focused solely on the third set.
“We need to be this good team, and just stay together and stay in the present,” ASU coach Jason Watson said. “That was a big part of what happened after the break. I don’t think anybody on the team, on the bench, on the coaching staff panicked. We just focused on making some little things better and being a better team.”
The little improvements proved to make a significant difference for ASU. Behind Mendivil’s .667 hitting percentage and three blocks from sophomore middle blocker Erica Wilson, the Sun Devils exploded in the third set for a 25-9 win.
Set four saw more of the same for ASU as Mendivil and senior outside hitter Sarah Reaves each slammed five kills to earn the 25-17 win.
Junior outside hitter Malia Marquardt joined in the fun with three kills of her own in the final set to claim the 15-10 set win and match victory.
“Everyone just played together and stepped up their individual game,” junior middle blocker Sonja Markanovich said. “Our win tonight was a boost of confidence that we can do this; we can compete in this conference.”
Prior to its win over the Beavers, ASU took on the Ducks (15-3, 3-3 Pac-10) in a Friday night matchup.
The Sun Devils stole the opening set from UO, 25-19, but it was all Ducks after that.
The UO squad took control of the match and won three straight sets, 25-15, 28-26, and 25-21 to defeat ASU.
The Ducks’ offense was too much to overcome for ASU as four UO players tallied ten kills or more.
“They’re doing their thing,” Mendivil said. “They’re running their offense. They weren’t backing down. We need to respond a little bit better and come back at them instead of backing down a little bit.”
The Sun Devils left Oregon with plenty of positives surrounding their team effort. Watson hopes his team can recognize its step in the right direction.
“I’m happy for the team,” Watson said. “They’re the ones who are putting in the time and going through the emotions. It’s nice for them to get a return. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I hope in the process, they are feeling good about where they are heading.”
Reach the reporter at gregory.dillard@asu.edu
