LOS ANGELES – Another double-double for Marta Levinska wasn't enough as Sun Devil Volleyball lost on the road to USC in four sets (20-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-19) on Friday night.
Notable Stats
Set One: ASU 25, USC 20
The two teams kept it close to start until a 6-1 scoring run put the Sun Devils up 14-9. After losing the next point, ASU was able to get it right back thanks to a block by Levinska and Stahlke, putting the Sun Devils up 15-10 at the media timeout. After a couple kills by Claire Jeter and Levinska, ASU was up 19-13, forcing USC to call a timeout. Roberta Rabelo served an ace immediately following the timeout. That ace was followed by a 4-0 scoring run from the Trojans that included two aces, resulting in a Sun Devil timeout, still up 22-19. A kill by Levinska allowed ASU to side out after that. ASU won the set 25-20 thanks to another kill by Levinska who had seven kills in the first set alone.
Set Two: USC 25, ASU 22
ASU picked up where they left off, opening the set on a 5-1 scoring run that included an ace by Larson-Nummer. USC managed to score a few more points after that, but a powerful kill out of the back row by Levinska gave the Sun Devils an 8-5 lead. Shields served three-straight points for ASU, giving them an 11-7 lead, however that was followed by 4-0 run by USC, tying the game up at 12. USC later took the lead, up 15-13 at the media timeout. Following the timeout, a kill by Levinska kept Arizona State within one, down 15-14. A 3-0 run by the Trojans forced the Sun Devils to take a timeout down 19-15. Coming out of the timeout, ASU scored two points to cut their deficit to two points. A kill by Stahlke tied it up again at 21, but USC managed to close it out after that, winning 25-22.
Set Three: USC 25, ASU 16
A kill by Levinska started a 3-0 run to open the set. However, USC had an answer, going on a 6-0 run of their own. Thanks to a missed serve by the Trojans, the Sun Devils were able to side out, down 6-3. A 6-2 run by USC put ASU down 15-10 at the media timeout. Later in the set ASU went on a small 3-0 run, but they were still down 19-14. USC closed out the set on a 6-2 scoring run.
Set Four: USC 25, ASU 19
Arizona State was able to gain control of the set for a while until a 5-0 run by USC allowed the home team to take a 10-8 lead. With Ella Snyder subbing in for Shields, ASU went on a 4-0 run and regained the lead, 11-10. After that, the teams continued to trade points until the media timeout, where USC held a narrow 15-14 lead. An ace by Levinska ended a 3-0 run by the Sun Devils, but the Trojans immediately got it back, tying the score at 17. USC then went on a 5-1 run that resulted in Arizona State calling a timeout, down 21-18. After the timeout, the Trojans continued to score, closing out the set on a 6-1 run.
Up Next
ASU will take on UCLA in Pauley Pavilion on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. MST. Daylight Savings ends on Sunday, so the local start time is 12 p.m. PST.
Notable Stats
- Arizona State (11-14, 5-8 Pac-12) and USC (17-7, 9-4 Pac-12) had pretty close hitting numbers, the Trojans with the slight edge, .217 to .215. The big difference was at the service line where the home team had 11 aces.
- The Sun Devils had 10 blocks in the match, continuing a trend of notching double figures in that category on Fridays. The team has done so four Fridays in a row. The team leader was junior middle blocker Claudia Stahlke with six, including two solo blocks.
- Junior pin hitter Marta Levinska had another strong outing for Arizona State. She led the team in kills and digs with 17 and 14, respectively. This is her second double-double in a row, the first time she has had them consecutively this season. In tonight's match, she also had four blocks.
- Another with double-digit digs was senior libero Annika Larson-Numer with 14 to match Levinska's total. Larson-Nummer is now 20 digs away from 1,000 career digs. She also had seven assists tonight.
- Senior outside hitter Iman Isanovic notched 11 kills, a second Sun Devil in double figures. She now needs just two more kills to be in the top-10 for total career kills. Currently in 10th is Lisa Stuck (1980-83) with 1,296.
- The primary setter was senior Shannon Shields, who had 25 assists. She also had five digs and two blocks.
- Sophomore outside hitter Geli Cyr had a solid outing, putting away eight kills on a .312 clip and earning nine digs.
Set One: ASU 25, USC 20
The two teams kept it close to start until a 6-1 scoring run put the Sun Devils up 14-9. After losing the next point, ASU was able to get it right back thanks to a block by Levinska and Stahlke, putting the Sun Devils up 15-10 at the media timeout. After a couple kills by Claire Jeter and Levinska, ASU was up 19-13, forcing USC to call a timeout. Roberta Rabelo served an ace immediately following the timeout. That ace was followed by a 4-0 scoring run from the Trojans that included two aces, resulting in a Sun Devil timeout, still up 22-19. A kill by Levinska allowed ASU to side out after that. ASU won the set 25-20 thanks to another kill by Levinska who had seven kills in the first set alone.
Set Two: USC 25, ASU 22
ASU picked up where they left off, opening the set on a 5-1 scoring run that included an ace by Larson-Nummer. USC managed to score a few more points after that, but a powerful kill out of the back row by Levinska gave the Sun Devils an 8-5 lead. Shields served three-straight points for ASU, giving them an 11-7 lead, however that was followed by 4-0 run by USC, tying the game up at 12. USC later took the lead, up 15-13 at the media timeout. Following the timeout, a kill by Levinska kept Arizona State within one, down 15-14. A 3-0 run by the Trojans forced the Sun Devils to take a timeout down 19-15. Coming out of the timeout, ASU scored two points to cut their deficit to two points. A kill by Stahlke tied it up again at 21, but USC managed to close it out after that, winning 25-22.
Set Three: USC 25, ASU 16
A kill by Levinska started a 3-0 run to open the set. However, USC had an answer, going on a 6-0 run of their own. Thanks to a missed serve by the Trojans, the Sun Devils were able to side out, down 6-3. A 6-2 run by USC put ASU down 15-10 at the media timeout. Later in the set ASU went on a small 3-0 run, but they were still down 19-14. USC closed out the set on a 6-2 scoring run.
Set Four: USC 25, ASU 19
Arizona State was able to gain control of the set for a while until a 5-0 run by USC allowed the home team to take a 10-8 lead. With Ella Snyder subbing in for Shields, ASU went on a 4-0 run and regained the lead, 11-10. After that, the teams continued to trade points until the media timeout, where USC held a narrow 15-14 lead. An ace by Levinska ended a 3-0 run by the Sun Devils, but the Trojans immediately got it back, tying the score at 17. USC then went on a 5-1 run that resulted in Arizona State calling a timeout, down 21-18. After the timeout, the Trojans continued to score, closing out the set on a 6-1 run.
Up Next
ASU will take on UCLA in Pauley Pavilion on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. MST. Daylight Savings ends on Sunday, so the local start time is 12 p.m. PST.