FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Sun Devil Volleyball maintained their perfect record by sweeping Northern Arizona in three sets (25-11, 25-10, 25-13) to win their first match of the Lumberjack Classic on Thursday night.
Notable Stats
The Sun Devils got off to a hot start, going on a 6-0 run to make the score 9-2, forcing the Lumberjacks to call a timeout. ASU was able to score out of the timeout, thanks to a kill by Cyr, but NAU responded with a 3-0 run of their own, making the score 10-5. The teams continued to battle back-and-forth until a kill by Shields extended ASU's lead to 14-6, forcing NAU to call another timeout. After that, the Sun Devils were able to pull away, ending the set on a 6-2 scoring run, to win the set 25-11.
Set Two: ASU 25, NAU 10
The second set started out close, as the teams were tied at 4- 4, until a 4-0 run gave ASU a slight lead of 8-4. NAU called a timeout with ASU leading 11-5, but the Sun Devils were able to score out of the timeout thanks to a service ace by McLaughlin. Northern Arizona was able to side out after that, but Arizona State dominated the rest of the set, going on an 8-1 run to close out the set 25-10.
Set Three: ASU 25, NAU 13
NAU started the third set up 2-0, until a kill by Levinska got ASU on the board. The Lumberjacks were able to side out after that, scoring two points until the Sun Devils went on a 7-0 run to force NAU to call a timeout as ASU went up 8-4. The teams went back-and-forth after that, but ASU was able to gradually grow their lead throughout the set. ASU went on a 3-0 run and a kill by Cromartie forced NAU to call another timeout, with ASU up 19-10. A kill by Levinska out of the timeout kept things rolling for the Sun Devils, as they then went on a 4-1 run to win the set 25-13.
Up Next
Arizona State continues the Lumberjack Classic by taking on Boise State on Friday at 5:00 p.m. MST.
Best Starts In ASU History
1. 1973: 21-0 (Mary Littlewood, Intermountain Conference)
2. 2015: 15-0 (Jason Watson, Pac-12 Conference)
3. 1976: 11-0 (Mary LIttlewood, Intermountain Conference)
4. 1985: 9-0 (Debbie Brown, Pacific West Conference)
5. 1981: 8-0 (Dale Flickinger, WCAA)
1992: 8-0 (Patti Snyder-Park, Pac-10 Conference)
7. 6x at 7-0 (1x Debbie Brown (1988), 3x Patti Snyder-Park (1993, 1995, 1997), Jason Watson (2013), JJ Van Niel (2023))
Notable Stats
- Arizona State (7-0) stayed perfect to tie for the seventh-best start all-time at ASU. It is the best start since 2015.
- Senior opposite hitter Marta Levinska led all players with 12 kills to extend her double-digit kill streak to 19 matches in a row. She also hit .478 and had three blocks and three aces.
- Sophomore middle blocker Olivia Johnson made her first career start, contributing three blocks, a kill, and an assist.
- Graduate setter Shannon Shields notched a double-double with a match-high 13 digs and 28 assists. It was her second double-double of the season, 12th of her career. She also tied her season high in kills with four.
- The defense was solid as graduate libero Mary Shroll had 11 digs and sophomore defensive specialist Estella Zatechka had 10.
- Graduate middle blocker Maddie McLaughlin led all players with four blocks, while also earning seven kills and an ace.
- The outside hitters added solid numbers as well. Junior Geli Cyr hit a blistering .615 with eight kills in two sets. Junior Shania Cromartie collected a season-high seven kills, hitting .500.
The Sun Devils got off to a hot start, going on a 6-0 run to make the score 9-2, forcing the Lumberjacks to call a timeout. ASU was able to score out of the timeout, thanks to a kill by Cyr, but NAU responded with a 3-0 run of their own, making the score 10-5. The teams continued to battle back-and-forth until a kill by Shields extended ASU's lead to 14-6, forcing NAU to call another timeout. After that, the Sun Devils were able to pull away, ending the set on a 6-2 scoring run, to win the set 25-11.
Set Two: ASU 25, NAU 10
The second set started out close, as the teams were tied at 4- 4, until a 4-0 run gave ASU a slight lead of 8-4. NAU called a timeout with ASU leading 11-5, but the Sun Devils were able to score out of the timeout thanks to a service ace by McLaughlin. Northern Arizona was able to side out after that, but Arizona State dominated the rest of the set, going on an 8-1 run to close out the set 25-10.
Set Three: ASU 25, NAU 13
NAU started the third set up 2-0, until a kill by Levinska got ASU on the board. The Lumberjacks were able to side out after that, scoring two points until the Sun Devils went on a 7-0 run to force NAU to call a timeout as ASU went up 8-4. The teams went back-and-forth after that, but ASU was able to gradually grow their lead throughout the set. ASU went on a 3-0 run and a kill by Cromartie forced NAU to call another timeout, with ASU up 19-10. A kill by Levinska out of the timeout kept things rolling for the Sun Devils, as they then went on a 4-1 run to win the set 25-13.
Up Next
Arizona State continues the Lumberjack Classic by taking on Boise State on Friday at 5:00 p.m. MST.
Best Starts In ASU History
1. 1973: 21-0 (Mary Littlewood, Intermountain Conference)
2. 2015: 15-0 (Jason Watson, Pac-12 Conference)
3. 1976: 11-0 (Mary LIttlewood, Intermountain Conference)
4. 1985: 9-0 (Debbie Brown, Pacific West Conference)
5. 1981: 8-0 (Dale Flickinger, WCAA)
1992: 8-0 (Patti Snyder-Park, Pac-10 Conference)
7. 6x at 7-0 (1x Debbie Brown (1988), 3x Patti Snyder-Park (1993, 1995, 1997), Jason Watson (2013), JJ Van Niel (2023))