HOUSTON – Behind a strong showing from Claire Kovensky, Arizona State volleyball defeated Houston in four sets (25-23, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21) to start the 2019 campaign.
The Sun Devils (1-0) shone bright against the Cougars (0-1) in their first match of the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup. Three players earned double-digit kills for ASU: Kovensky with 19, Ivana Jeremic with 12 and Jada Burse with 10. Arizona State has won its last eight season openers.
Notable Stats
Set One: Arizona State 25, Houston 23
The Sun Devils got off to a slow start, allowing a 6-0 run for the Cougars. However, Kovensky caught fire, putting down four kills in a row to spark ASU to a 5-0 run of its own to take the 13-10 lead. After another tie at 19-19, the Sun Devils put together three points in a row, including a huge block from Jeremic after a great hustle save. A pair of kills from Beedie got the team to set point, and Jeremic finished off the set with a kill of her own.
Set Two: Houston 25, Arizona State 23
Kovensky continued to shine in the second set, scoring four of ASU's first five points. A block from Jaloba gave the Sun Devils their first lead of the set at 6-5, and they never looked back. Back-to-back blocks and another kill from Kovensky put Arizona State up 17-10. The largest lead of the set for the Sun Devils was eight at 20-12 after Beedie tooled the block for a kill. Houston responded late in the set, going on a 7-0 run to tie it at 22-22. The Cougars would complete the comeback, winning 25-23.
Set Three: Arizona State 25, Houston 16
A 4-0 run early in the set put the Sun Devils up 7-3, a run that included three kills and a block from Kovensky. Five in a row later in the set made it 17-11, capped off by an ace from Larson. The Sun Devils never looked back, winning the third set 25-16 off of a monster stuff block from Burse.
Set Four: Arizona State 25, Houston 21
ASU kept up the momentum in the fourth set, jumping out to a 7-3 lead after Boyd and Jeremic teamed up for a block. Houston got back in it with a 5-0 run, but Arizona State strung together four in a row to push the lead back up to 16-11, capped off with a block from Isanovic. The Cougars held off two match points, but the Sun Devils were able to finish the job, winning 25-21 and taking the match.
Quotes
Arizona State head coach Sanja Tomasevic
"It was a good win to start the season. It's always exciting to see how the new players and the old players mix together, to mix what we had before with what we have now. We have to keep getting better, but I like the spunk that this team has. It is a lot of fun coaching them because they bring their own energy."
Up Next
Arizona State will close out the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup on Saturday with two matches, first against LSU at 8 a.m. MST and then against Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 2:30 p.m. MST. Live stats will be available for both matches.
The Sun Devils (1-0) shone bright against the Cougars (0-1) in their first match of the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup. Three players earned double-digit kills for ASU: Kovensky with 19, Ivana Jeremic with 12 and Jada Burse with 10. Arizona State has won its last eight season openers.
Nothing like that winning feeling. ??#ForksUp pic.twitter.com/fWsdGUhBF8
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) August 30, 2019
Notable Stats
- Junior outside hitter Kovensky shone bright in the first match, tying her collegiate career high in kills with 19. That total passed her Arizona State career high, which was 17.
- Senior libero Courtney Leffel collected 23 digs to lead all players. She had nine matches with 20 or more digs last season.
- Callie Jones and Noa Miller paced the offense, notching 24 and 14 assists, respectively. Miller also had a career-high 16 digs for a double-double.
- Sophomore middle blocker Avital Jaloba had five blocks in the win.
- Four non-setters earned career highs in assists against Houston. Leffel had 12, Jeremic had five, Kovensky had five and Megan Beedie had three.
- Jeremic also tied her career high in service aces with two.
- With half of the team made up of newcomers, many Sun Devils made their debut today. All three transfers, Burse, Miller and Andrea Mitrovic, started in the first set. Additionally, freshmen Kennedi Boyd, Iman Isanovic and Annika Larson saw time.
Set One: Arizona State 25, Houston 23
The Sun Devils got off to a slow start, allowing a 6-0 run for the Cougars. However, Kovensky caught fire, putting down four kills in a row to spark ASU to a 5-0 run of its own to take the 13-10 lead. After another tie at 19-19, the Sun Devils put together three points in a row, including a huge block from Jeremic after a great hustle save. A pair of kills from Beedie got the team to set point, and Jeremic finished off the set with a kill of her own.
Set Two: Houston 25, Arizona State 23
Kovensky continued to shine in the second set, scoring four of ASU's first five points. A block from Jaloba gave the Sun Devils their first lead of the set at 6-5, and they never looked back. Back-to-back blocks and another kill from Kovensky put Arizona State up 17-10. The largest lead of the set for the Sun Devils was eight at 20-12 after Beedie tooled the block for a kill. Houston responded late in the set, going on a 7-0 run to tie it at 22-22. The Cougars would complete the comeback, winning 25-23.
Set Three: Arizona State 25, Houston 16
A 4-0 run early in the set put the Sun Devils up 7-3, a run that included three kills and a block from Kovensky. Five in a row later in the set made it 17-11, capped off by an ace from Larson. The Sun Devils never looked back, winning the third set 25-16 off of a monster stuff block from Burse.
S3 | ASU wins the third set 25-16 on THIS.
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) August 30, 2019
MUST. WATCH. ???? pic.twitter.com/RbjL7F7Ici
Set Four: Arizona State 25, Houston 21
ASU kept up the momentum in the fourth set, jumping out to a 7-3 lead after Boyd and Jeremic teamed up for a block. Houston got back in it with a 5-0 run, but Arizona State strung together four in a row to push the lead back up to 16-11, capped off with a block from Isanovic. The Cougars held off two match points, but the Sun Devils were able to finish the job, winning 25-21 and taking the match.
Quotes
Arizona State head coach Sanja Tomasevic
"It was a good win to start the season. It's always exciting to see how the new players and the old players mix together, to mix what we had before with what we have now. We have to keep getting better, but I like the spunk that this team has. It is a lot of fun coaching them because they bring their own energy."
Up Next
Arizona State will close out the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup on Saturday with two matches, first against LSU at 8 a.m. MST and then against Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 2:30 p.m. MST. Live stats will be available for both matches.