TEMPE, Ariz. – In the first matchup of the first annual Sparky Classic, the Sun Devils and Lumberjacks faced head-to-head, with ASU coming out on top by a final of 3-1 on Friday morning at Wells Fargo Arena.
Despite dropping the first set of the match, the Sun Devils managed to regroup led by a balanced offensive attack spearheaded by junior Ivana Jeremic. Jeremic continued to build on a career start to her 2018 campaign, collecting 20 kills and 17 digs in the match to net her fifth double-double. With that double-double, Jeremic is tied for the most in the Pac-12 conference. She has now tallied double-digit kills in all but one of the Sun Devils' matches this season, including three matches with 20+ kills.
"We started off playing their game," coach Sanja Tomasevic said. "We weren't into our own rhythm and we did get better in the second, third and fourth sets, but it still wasn't our offense."
ASU found their groove in the second set, picking up a dominating 25-16 victory over the Lumberjacks. The third set proved to be a much closer battle to the tune of a 26-24 win in favor of ASU, but the Sun Devils again picked it up in set four for another big win, 25-17.
Jeremic was not the only weapon working for ASU tonight, as junior Courtney Leffel set a career-high in digs with 28 in the four-set affair. Leffel has been a consistent cog for ASU this season, providing valuable defense at the libero position.
"When Courtney is playing well, she definitely helps people around her in giving them advice and telling them what to do," Tomasevic said. "Courtney was definitely a stabilizing factor in the defense this morning."
In the final fourth set, the Sun Devils pulled away from NAU in part by being held to a negative hitting percentage (-.036), as NAU recorded six kills but committed eight attack errors.
Sophomore Claire Kovensky also provided a steadying presence on the offense, recording a double-double as well. The GCU transfer put up 14 kills and 14 digs in the Sun Devil victory.
"We have a list of things to work on before our match later this evening," coach Tomasevic said. "One thing we haven't done this season is come out onto the court and dictate our own tempo, so we should be able to do that on our home court."
Up next, the Sun Devils take on Gonzaga later this evening. Fans can follow along with the matchup, set to begin at 7 p.m., on the ASU Live Stream as well as keeping up with live stats.
Despite dropping the first set of the match, the Sun Devils managed to regroup led by a balanced offensive attack spearheaded by junior Ivana Jeremic. Jeremic continued to build on a career start to her 2018 campaign, collecting 20 kills and 17 digs in the match to net her fifth double-double. With that double-double, Jeremic is tied for the most in the Pac-12 conference. She has now tallied double-digit kills in all but one of the Sun Devils' matches this season, including three matches with 20+ kills.
"We started off playing their game," coach Sanja Tomasevic said. "We weren't into our own rhythm and we did get better in the second, third and fourth sets, but it still wasn't our offense."
ASU found their groove in the second set, picking up a dominating 25-16 victory over the Lumberjacks. The third set proved to be a much closer battle to the tune of a 26-24 win in favor of ASU, but the Sun Devils again picked it up in set four for another big win, 25-17.
Jeremic was not the only weapon working for ASU tonight, as junior Courtney Leffel set a career-high in digs with 28 in the four-set affair. Leffel has been a consistent cog for ASU this season, providing valuable defense at the libero position.
"When Courtney is playing well, she definitely helps people around her in giving them advice and telling them what to do," Tomasevic said. "Courtney was definitely a stabilizing factor in the defense this morning."
In the final fourth set, the Sun Devils pulled away from NAU in part by being held to a negative hitting percentage (-.036), as NAU recorded six kills but committed eight attack errors.
Sophomore Claire Kovensky also provided a steadying presence on the offense, recording a double-double as well. The GCU transfer put up 14 kills and 14 digs in the Sun Devil victory.
"We have a list of things to work on before our match later this evening," coach Tomasevic said. "One thing we haven't done this season is come out onto the court and dictate our own tempo, so we should be able to do that on our home court."
Up next, the Sun Devils take on Gonzaga later this evening. Fans can follow along with the matchup, set to begin at 7 p.m., on the ASU Live Stream as well as keeping up with live stats.