TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State volleyball had its first chance to play in front of a crowd on Saturday afternoon in Wells Fargo Arena during the annual Maroon and Gold Scrimmage. The Maroon team won the day, taking the first three sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-22), while Gold won the last two (25-23, 16-14).
Notable Stats
The Maroon team led from the start and never looked back thanks to Isanovic. She hit .667 in the first set, tallying seven kills. One of those kills put Maroon up 14-9, forcing a timeout from Gold. Maroon went on a 3-0 run, capped off by an ace from Leffel, to push the lead to 21-16. Another 3-0 run and a kill from Beedie won the set for Maroon, 25-18.
Set Two: Maroon 25, Gold 22
Maroon kept the momentum to start the second set. Two aces in a row from Beedie put them up 6-3, causing Gold to call an early timeout. The teams would go back and forth for the rest of the set with big runs. Maroon put together four in a row before Gold had a 6-0 run. Then Maroon scored seven of eight to push the lead to 20-15, but Gold responded with four-straight points to get within one. However, a tip kill from Miller set Maroon back on track, setting them up for the 25-22 win.
Set Three: Maroon 25, Gold 22
Gold started strong in the third set, leading 10-8 after a kill from Burse. Three-straight kills by Mitrovic put Maroon back on top, 13-11. Burse earned three kills in a row to tie the set at 20-20, bringing Gold back from being down by as much as four. From there, the teams traded points until an error sealed the win for Maroon, 25-22.
Set Four: Gold 25, Maroon 23
Maroon and Gold traded leads throughout the set, neither able to get a comfortable lead. An ace from Nicole Peterson made it 11-9 in favor of Maroon. Burse shone for the Gold team in this set, including a key kill to get them up 23-20. However, Maroon responded with a 3-0 run to tie it up. An ace from Larson secured Gold their first win of the day.
Set Five: Gold 16, Maroon 14
The final set was close from start to finish. Down the stretch, Gold scored three in a row to get to set point. A couple of errors kept Maroon around, but an overpass kill from Avital Jaloba clinched the 16-14 win.
Sanja Tomasevic, head coach
Overall thoughts
"Today was our first time in front of the crowd with the jerseys on. It took us a little while to get going. We got a lot of good video on us so we can see things we need to work on. There were some really good moments today."
On the outside hitters
"I think Iman (Isanovic) had a really good match. From the beginning, she played really well. Jada (Burse) stepped up towards the end, so did Andrea (Mitrovic). We need more offense from our returners. I think Ivana (Jeremic) did okay today. I'm always harder on her than most other kids because she's older now and she can handle it. She needs to steady her game out. She could take some bigger swings."
Ivana Jeremic, senior outside hitter
On being back in front of a crowd
"It's exciting! It is my alst season, my las ttime scrimmaging here. We had a lot of people, which got us going. We definitely saw the things we still need to work on, the things we need to fix. It was a good test to see where we are at right now."
On competition for starting roles
"I've been here for four years and this is the hardest preseason I've had when it comes to competition. We are fighting every single practice. In the end, I think it is going to come down to who passes the best because we are similar in our hitting, so it is going to be whoever is the most consistent on the passing line."
Iman Isanovic, freshman outside hitter
On her first time in uniform
"I think it went well. I think I can do much better, and I hope to do better as the season progresses. I was definitely scared and frantic at first, but at the same time I was so hyped to play in an ASU jersey in front of fans and to introduce myself to them. It was really something. I appreciate this and I hope it just keeps getting better."
Up Next
Arizona State's season opener is on Friday, August 30, at Houston. The match will start at 10:30 a.m. MST and will have a live stream and live stats.
Notable Stats
- Senior transfer Jada Burse let all hitters with 23 kills and five blocks.
- Freshman Iman Isanovic made a splash in her debut, totaling 20 kills, which was the same total junior transfer Andrea Mitrovic reached as well.
- Sophomore transfer Noa Miller led all three setters in assists with 35 and 15 digs.
- Senior libero Courtney Leffel had 33 digs in the match, which is five more than her career high of 28.
- Freshman libero Annika Larson also reached double-digit digs with 16, the second-highest total on the team.
- Four players had four aces in the match: Peterson, Larson and Megan Beedie.
Set One: Maroon 25, Gold 18FINAL!
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) August 24, 2019
Maroon won the first three and Gold won the last two at the Maroon and Gold Scrimmage! Jada Burse led all players with 2??3?? kills!#ForksUp pic.twitter.com/u2kazBZJth
The Maroon team led from the start and never looked back thanks to Isanovic. She hit .667 in the first set, tallying seven kills. One of those kills put Maroon up 14-9, forcing a timeout from Gold. Maroon went on a 3-0 run, capped off by an ace from Leffel, to push the lead to 21-16. Another 3-0 run and a kill from Beedie won the set for Maroon, 25-18.
Set Two: Maroon 25, Gold 22
Maroon kept the momentum to start the second set. Two aces in a row from Beedie put them up 6-3, causing Gold to call an early timeout. The teams would go back and forth for the rest of the set with big runs. Maroon put together four in a row before Gold had a 6-0 run. Then Maroon scored seven of eight to push the lead to 20-15, but Gold responded with four-straight points to get within one. However, a tip kill from Miller set Maroon back on track, setting them up for the 25-22 win.
Set Three: Maroon 25, Gold 22
Gold started strong in the third set, leading 10-8 after a kill from Burse. Three-straight kills by Mitrovic put Maroon back on top, 13-11. Burse earned three kills in a row to tie the set at 20-20, bringing Gold back from being down by as much as four. From there, the teams traded points until an error sealed the win for Maroon, 25-22.
Set Four: Gold 25, Maroon 23
Maroon and Gold traded leads throughout the set, neither able to get a comfortable lead. An ace from Nicole Peterson made it 11-9 in favor of Maroon. Burse shone for the Gold team in this set, including a key kill to get them up 23-20. However, Maroon responded with a 3-0 run to tie it up. An ace from Larson secured Gold their first win of the day.
Set Five: Gold 16, Maroon 14
The final set was close from start to finish. Down the stretch, Gold scored three in a row to get to set point. A couple of errors kept Maroon around, but an overpass kill from Avital Jaloba clinched the 16-14 win.
QuotesHappy to be back in the Bank. ??#ForksUp pic.twitter.com/q166GYHDzw
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) August 24, 2019
Sanja Tomasevic, head coach
Overall thoughts
"Today was our first time in front of the crowd with the jerseys on. It took us a little while to get going. We got a lot of good video on us so we can see things we need to work on. There were some really good moments today."
On the outside hitters
"I think Iman (Isanovic) had a really good match. From the beginning, she played really well. Jada (Burse) stepped up towards the end, so did Andrea (Mitrovic). We need more offense from our returners. I think Ivana (Jeremic) did okay today. I'm always harder on her than most other kids because she's older now and she can handle it. She needs to steady her game out. She could take some bigger swings."
Ivana Jeremic, senior outside hitter
On being back in front of a crowd
"It's exciting! It is my alst season, my las ttime scrimmaging here. We had a lot of people, which got us going. We definitely saw the things we still need to work on, the things we need to fix. It was a good test to see where we are at right now."
On competition for starting roles
"I've been here for four years and this is the hardest preseason I've had when it comes to competition. We are fighting every single practice. In the end, I think it is going to come down to who passes the best because we are similar in our hitting, so it is going to be whoever is the most consistent on the passing line."
Iman Isanovic, freshman outside hitter
On her first time in uniform
"I think it went well. I think I can do much better, and I hope to do better as the season progresses. I was definitely scared and frantic at first, but at the same time I was so hyped to play in an ASU jersey in front of fans and to introduce myself to them. It was really something. I appreciate this and I hope it just keeps getting better."
Up Next
Arizona State's season opener is on Friday, August 30, at Houston. The match will start at 10:30 a.m. MST and will have a live stream and live stats.