Junior middle blocker Alexis Pinson (5) and sophomore outside hitter Nora Tuioti-Mariner (1) watches the ball sail past them during ASU’s 3-1 loss to UA on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of Colin Prenger | Arizona Daily Wildcat)Opening up conference play against your most bitter rival is always a tough challenge.
For the ASU women’s volleyball team, that challenge was too tough.
The Sun Devils (11-3, 0-1 Pac-12) dropped their Pac-12 opener to the UA Wildcats (9-3, 1-0 Pac-12) Tuesday night in Tucson. The loss to the Wildcats also puts UA in the lead in the Territorial Cup standings this year.
The first set wasn’t the strong start ASU was hoping for to start the game. The Sun Devils jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead behind junior middle blocker Alexis Pinson’s serve. The team held the lead until UA took the lead 13-12 halfway through the set. From that point on, the Sun Devils could not recover as they dropped the first set 25-20. The Wildcats made life tough at the net for the Sun Devils as they tallied five blocks in the set.
The trend continued right into the second set, as ASU was unable to stop UA’s momentum. The Sun Devils fell behind quickly as the Wildcats jumped out to a 10-3 lead. ASU rallied back to cut the lead to two at a couple points of the set. But UA pulled away again late to take the second set from the Sun Devils 24-16. ASU struggled due to its low hitting percentage, as they hit at a clip of .027 for the set.
Facing a possible sweep at the hands of UA, the Sun Devils stayed right with Wildcats for the early part of the third set. The Sun Devils went on a 7-0 run to take a 16-10 lead behind freshman outside hitter Macey Gardner’s serve. ASU held off UA and took the third set 25-20 from the Wildcats. Senior outside hitter Erica Wilson sparked the Devils in the set with her five kills and two blocks.
Even with taking momentum away from UA in the previous set, the Sun Devils were unable to take the fourth set. ASU fell behind early, but still stayed with the Wildcats through the first part of the set. The team was able to tie the set at 12-12 before UA took the lead back for good. The Sun Devils lost the set 25-21 and their first of two matches against UA.
A low hitting percentage played a huge part in the loss to UA. The Sun Devils hit above .200 in their lone set victory against the Wildcats. ASU hit for a .107 average in all four sets combined for the night.
The Sun Devils offense was stifled because of a tough UA defense. The Wildcats blocked 14 shots on the night, creating problems for ASU all night.
With the loss, UA now leads the all-time series 43-39. The Sun Devils return home Friday to take on Washington State in their first Pac-12 at home this season.
Reach the reporter at talopez3@asu.edu
