While most of the attention of the ASU-UA rivalry gets directed toward the football game, the Territorial Cup Series encompasses all NCAA Division I sports in which both schools participate. Each of The State Press beat writers wrote what the rivalry means to each sport.
Volleyball (by Benjamin Margiott)
The ASU-UA rivalry is known as one of, if not the best and most heated rivalry in collegiate athletics.
Senior libero Stephanie Preach sums up the Territorial Cup rivalry in a rather simple, but profound, statement.
“We are the best team in Arizona,” Preach said.
Coach Jason Watson, however, is cordial about the rivalry that has been so bitter in years past and in other sports.
“I think it’s a nice rivalry,” Watson said. “We have an enormous amount of respect for Arizona and their coaching staff.”
Although ASU leads the all-time volleyball series 47-43, the Wildcats have charted territory still unfamiliar to the Sun Devils.
“They’ve been to a Final Four,” Watson said.
The rivalry began upon the ASU volleyball program’s inception in 1973, when coach Mary Littlewood led the Sun Devils to its first and only undefeated season. ASU lost just one set to UA in the first three years of competition, though the records are incomplete.
Don’t let it fool you though: The Sun Devils play UA the same as any other team.
“There’s a lot of hype around it just because it is UA, but in our program, we kind of treat everyone like we want to beat everyone,” Preach said. “Every match is a huge match for us.”
Coach Watson said appreciates the “friendly” rivalry for its added fan and player engagement.
“It’s this wonderful series and I know that our athletes are engaged in it,” Watson said. “It’s one of the things that makes college athletics so wonderful and so special.”
In addition to the glory and pride that comes from defeating their hated rival, Preach and her teammates also receive a more tangible reward.
“We get a little kachina doll through the athletic department for every team that wins the Territorial Cup, so that’s another thing we try to play for,” Preach said.
Reach the reporter at bmargiot@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @BenMargiott.
Tennis (by Evan Webeck)
Even when it is one-sided, the Territorial Cup is one of the most intense rivalries in the NCAA, and that’s exactly what is has been for the ASU tennis program.
ASU has defeated UA in 11 of its past 12 matches, with its only loss coming two seasons ago in Tucson, 7-0. The Wildcats were dominant in that match, but the Sun Devils have dominated the series.
ASU coach Sheila McInerney experienced the crosstown rivalry between USC and UCLA while she was a student-athlete at USC. After being part of the Territorial Cup for 30 years, she says the LA rivalry doesn’t compare.
“It’s a very, very, very strong dislike,” McInerney said. “I’d say more so than SC-UCLA, having been involved in both rivalries.”
The biggest difference in the rivalries is the dynamic of having the schools in different cities, McInerney said. USC and UCLA are separated by a mere 12 miles, while the trek down the I-10 is over 100 miles.
“You’ve got Tempe/Phoenix, and you’ve got Tucson,” McInerney said. “So you’ve got people who live in (Tempe) who went to UA ... so I think that adds to it.”
While McInerney admitted beating the Wildcats never gets old, there isn’t much of a thrill factor in it, compared to the times the Sun Devils beat Stanford, USC or Cal.
“It’s sort of like we’ve beaten Goliath (when we beat Stanford),” McInerney said. “When we beat UA, we’re beating our rival. It’s a different dynamic.”
No matter how closely played the matches are against other schools, it still won’t be the Territorial Cup. McInerney said she hates losing to anyone, but singled out UA as a team that sticks out.
“I’m a competitor. ... I don’t enjoy losing to (UA),” McInerney said. “We’ve enjoyed more success than not.”
For McInerney, she said the success doesn’t diminish the intensity of the rivalry.
“There’s no question, when you’re driving down to Tucson, you’ve got a little pit in your stomach,” McInerney said. “It’s a big rivalry; there’s no question about it.”
ASU will look to make it 12 of 13 against UA when the Sun Devils visit the Wildcats in Tucson on April 19.
Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EWeebs.
Golf (by Avery Feyrer)
The Territorial Cup: The final game of the football season between ASU and UA. Not only does the winning team receive a trophy, it receives bragging rights until the next season.
Over the past four years, the rivalry between the two Arizona schools has taken on an even bigger stage. Since 2009, the Territorial Cup has evolved as a yearlong competition between the two universities. The Territorial Cup Series cultivates head-to-head competitions in 18 different sports.
A point is awarded to the winner of the head-to-head contest, or a half-point for a tie.
While the winning the Territorial Cup is extremely important in football, women’s golf coach Melissa Luellen says defeating UA in any sport is always something for which to strive, but she raised a concern with the scoring system.
“We always want to beat UA,” said Luellen. “ASU women’s golf beat the UA at the National Championship, but the Territorial Cup point is solely determined by the Pac-12 championship. I obviously do not like this scoring system. I feel that we should have a yearlong head-to-head win/loss record to determine the point.”
While golf does not get as much attention as football, it is no less intense. ASU men’s golf coach Tim Mickelson says that winning the Territorial Cup point for men’s golf is a goal for his team every year.
“The Territorial Cup point for men’s golf was won by ASU last season," he said. "Defeating UA is as intense in golf as it is in any other sport."
However, ASU and UA do not always participate in the same tournament. Coach Luellen says that in only about half of the tournaments during the season are ASU and UA in the same field. But when they are together, the Sun Devils put everything on the line to win.
“Bring on the battle,” Luellen said.
Reach the reporter at afeyrer@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @coffeeblack910
Follow the State Press sports desk on Twitter @statepresssport
