The Sun Devil volleyball team (4-2) lost two of three in the Fleur De Lis Tournament, losing to Western Kentucky and No. 24 Louisville, and winning against Tennessee Tech.
Senior outside hitter Jada Burse propelled the team throughout the three games, scoring 46 total kills in the tournament.
Senior libero Courtney Leffel was named to the All-Tournament team after collecting 55 total digs in the tournament, 24 of which came against Western Kentucky.
Freshman outside hitter Iman Isanovic also provided ASU with solid offensive production, scoring double-digit kills in all three matches.
On Friday, the Sun Devils built large leads in multiple sets against Western Kentucky, but ultimately lost the match in four sets (25-21, 21-25, 25-27, 18-25).
After securing the first set, ASU led the second 20-12 before allowing Western Kentucky to go on a 8-0 run to tie the game. The Sun Devils captured one more point before the Lady Toppers scored the next five to win the set.
The Sun Devils again got off to a hot start in the third set, building a 18-9 lead. But WKU once again made a late push and eventually pulled out a two point win.
Later that day, ASU rebounded by sweeping Tennessee Tech convincingly in straight sets (25-22, 25-15, 25-15).
In the first set, the Golden Eagles came as close as 23-21. After that, ASU imposed its will and ran away with the three-set victory.
On Saturday, ASU faced off against No. 24 Louisville, its first top-25 opponent of the season. Overall, the team was unable to neutralize the Cardinals' offense and fell in four sets (25-21, 18-25, 17-25, 15-25).
The Devils had to overcome a strong start from Louisville in the first set, trailing by as much as seven to start. But ASU then gained a 7-0 run to tie the game on its way to an opening set victory.
However, ASU was unable to sustain that momentum throughout the rest of the match. The Devils then lost the next three sets, surrendering multiple Louisville runs they could not overcome.
Next up, the Devils will take on Louisiana in the OU Nike Invitational on Friday, Sep. 13 at 9:00 a.m. MST.
Reach the reporter at jhorst2@asu.edu and follow @HorseySeven on Twitter.
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Jeffrey Horst is the digital editor-in-chief of The State Press. He previously served as the publication's sports editor and worked at Cronkite News and ArizonaSports.com.
