PROVO, Utah – For the first time since 1995, No. 5 seed Sun Devil Volleyball is going to the Sweet 16 after sweeping No. 5 seed BYU on its home court (25-20, 25-21, 25-21) on Saturday night.
Notable Stats
Quotes
Head Coach JJ Van Niel
Opening statement:
"What an amazing, amazing feeling. I still have shivers. I am so proud of this team and what they have done ever since I walked in on day one. They've just worked so hard. It's just been great and we talked about it again, they have earned the right to be here. Just having the confidence and knowing that they deserve to be here. They have earned it so I am really proud of them, that was a really fun match. BYU did a really nice job. The crowd was great. What a win. I am so proud of them, just awesome."
On how big it was to be ahead in the match, especially on the road:
"We talked about it in our pregame. If we play our game, we are going to shake the crowd. We served them tough and we put the pressure on, and they had some moments, but again I was really proud of these young women because they did not let it get to them. They were getting really fired up when they had a big play and the crowd was going nuts and we just continued to play our game, which is what we do. I thought we did a really nice job of staying composed despite the craziness."
On the importance of consistency to get to the end goal:
"Throughout the year, no matter who we play, we've talked about staying within our game. At the beginning of the year, we would talk a lot about how the Japanese players are super super scrappy but most importantly they are really patient. If we have a shot, we take it, if not we try to put pressure on the other team and go back and defend. Our system has been about shooting tough, and when we pass the ball we just put a lot of pressure on them. I think when we have maybe been in trouble in the past, it is because either the serve and pass game has not gone well or maybe we go outside of what we're good at. These last two matches we have stayed within our game and just executed so flawlessly, so it has been fun."
Senior Opposite Hitter Marta Levinska
On the first set setting the tone for tonight:
"Winning the first set always gives you the confidence boost you need. I think that just proved to us that we could win this game. Right away, I think we just gained so much confidence and we did not stop and we knew that they did not like the pressure we were giving them. It definitely was one of the keys to winning that first set."
On what was working for her from the serving perspective:
"I just tried to stay aggressive. I focused on my toss and just hitting the ball where I wanted to hit it and going for it. I am really happy it paid off."
Senior Middle Blocker Claire Jeter
On the expectations at the beginning of the season:
"This was an expectation of ours. This was our goal that we set and we set it for a couple of years now and I am glad it finally paid off. I think we worked really hard to get where we are. It was definitely expected and we have more in us."
On doing this for this program after being here for a while:
"It feels awesome. It is about time that we get some credit for what we have been doing and I think that the plan that we set going into this season has been to go all out on the service line, we are scrappy and we are just intentional about our play and I think that has been really big for us. It's awesome to be where we are right now and we deserve it and I cannot wait to see where we go."
On playing Stanford again:
"It's a clean slate now, it is 0-0 basically. I think it is time to show when it really matters most and I think we are very excited."
Graduate Libero Mary Shroll
On what it feels like to be in the Sweet 16:
"It's really amazing. Being here is such a privilege and making it to this postseason. We know that there are a lot of people tuning in and we are just so excited to be here and moving forward with this."
On seeing the growth of the backline:
"We've worked really hard on our out of system defense so it makes the job back there so much easier when our blockers are there and connected up at the net. It is really fun to play defense around them, especially when they are making extremely good touches. I think that is an area that we have grown a lot in and we work hard in our gym every single day for that so really shouting out the blockers. When they get there and get those touches it makes it a lot easier."
On playing Stanford again:
"It's exciting. I am stoked we get to play Stanford again. I think our speed is really well matched against them and I know we have that confidence too of sweeping them at home, so I know we are really pumped."
Set One: ASU 25, BYU 20
An early 4-0 run with kills from Levinska and Jeter gave ASU a 4-2 lead. It was back and forth for a while until a block from Jeter and back-to-back aces from Levinska pushed the lead to 12-9, forcing BYU's first timeout. An error from the Cougars made it four in a row, extending the advantage to 13-9. After ASU's lead got down to one, Cyr crushed a ball out of a Sun Devil timeout to start three-straight points, making it 20-16. The teams traded points but Arizona State held its lead, with Levinska tooling the block at set point to win 25-20. She had eight kills in the first set, hitting .700.
Set Two: ASU 25, BYU 21
The Sun Devils held the momentum into the second set behind Levinska's serve. She opened the set on a 4-0 run with her serves, drilling an ace in the run. After some back and forth, she got her fourth ace of the set to make it 11-6 and force BYU's first timeout. Six-straight points with two aces from Shields pushed it to 19-10, bringing BYU's second timeout midway through the run. The Sun Devils allowed a pair of runs late in the set, including four in a row late to hold off set point and make it 24-21. However, a roll shot from Levinska got the 25-21 win.
Set Three: ASU 25, BYU 21
The third set was a battle to start. Four in a row from the Sun Devils gave them a 9-6 lead, capped off by an incredible dig from Estella Zatechka to set up the Cyr kill. BYU tied it up at 9-9 and the teams traded sideouts until Jeter got on a serving run, leading ASU to three-straight points to make it 14-11 and cause a timeout from the home team. Another 3-0 run from Arizona State pushed it to 17-12 and forced the second BYU timeout. The Cougars tried to make a late push, but the Sun Devils slammed the door with a kill from Levinska to win 25-21 and punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen.
Up Next
Arizona State will match up against No. 1 seed Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen. The match will be on December 7 at 8:30 p.m. PST/9:30 p.m. MST on ESPNU.
Notable Stats
- Arizona State (28-6) won a second NCAA Tournament match for the first time in program history and is going to the Sweet 16 for the third time.
- ASU got win 28, now in sole possession of second place for most wins in program history. The record number of sweeps in a single season is now at 20 after the three-set win over the Cougars.
- Senior opposite Marta Levinska led all players in kills with 17 on a .533 clip. That hitting percentage just barely surpasses the number from Geli Cyr in Friday's match against Georgia for a new Sun Devil record in a tournament match. She also had 10 digs for her seventh double-double of the year, 28th of her career. Additionally, she had five aces for a new season high. That number broke her into the top 10 for career aces, now with 106.
- The outside hitters provided a balanced attack for the Sun Devils. Junior Geli Cyr had nine kills, as well as eight digs and a pair of blocks. Senior Roberta Rabelo had eight kills and also had two blocks.
- Graduate setter Shannon Shields notched 35 assists in the three-set win. She also had two aces and two blocks.
- Leading the defense at the net was senior middle blocker Claire Jeter with five blocks, adding four kills as well. In the back row, graduate libero Mary Shroll had 10 digs to match Levinska's total.
Built for this ??#ForksUp /// #NCAAWVB pic.twitter.com/ay4zAdy1Nt
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) December 3, 2023
Quotes
Head Coach JJ Van Niel
Opening statement:
"What an amazing, amazing feeling. I still have shivers. I am so proud of this team and what they have done ever since I walked in on day one. They've just worked so hard. It's just been great and we talked about it again, they have earned the right to be here. Just having the confidence and knowing that they deserve to be here. They have earned it so I am really proud of them, that was a really fun match. BYU did a really nice job. The crowd was great. What a win. I am so proud of them, just awesome."
On how big it was to be ahead in the match, especially on the road:
"We talked about it in our pregame. If we play our game, we are going to shake the crowd. We served them tough and we put the pressure on, and they had some moments, but again I was really proud of these young women because they did not let it get to them. They were getting really fired up when they had a big play and the crowd was going nuts and we just continued to play our game, which is what we do. I thought we did a really nice job of staying composed despite the craziness."
On the importance of consistency to get to the end goal:
"Throughout the year, no matter who we play, we've talked about staying within our game. At the beginning of the year, we would talk a lot about how the Japanese players are super super scrappy but most importantly they are really patient. If we have a shot, we take it, if not we try to put pressure on the other team and go back and defend. Our system has been about shooting tough, and when we pass the ball we just put a lot of pressure on them. I think when we have maybe been in trouble in the past, it is because either the serve and pass game has not gone well or maybe we go outside of what we're good at. These last two matches we have stayed within our game and just executed so flawlessly, so it has been fun."
A SWEET celebration ??#ForksUp /// #NCAAWVB pic.twitter.com/wcPt3VLjwa
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) December 3, 2023
Senior Opposite Hitter Marta Levinska
On the first set setting the tone for tonight:
"Winning the first set always gives you the confidence boost you need. I think that just proved to us that we could win this game. Right away, I think we just gained so much confidence and we did not stop and we knew that they did not like the pressure we were giving them. It definitely was one of the keys to winning that first set."
On what was working for her from the serving perspective:
"I just tried to stay aggressive. I focused on my toss and just hitting the ball where I wanted to hit it and going for it. I am really happy it paid off."
Senior Middle Blocker Claire Jeter
On the expectations at the beginning of the season:
"This was an expectation of ours. This was our goal that we set and we set it for a couple of years now and I am glad it finally paid off. I think we worked really hard to get where we are. It was definitely expected and we have more in us."
On doing this for this program after being here for a while:
"It feels awesome. It is about time that we get some credit for what we have been doing and I think that the plan that we set going into this season has been to go all out on the service line, we are scrappy and we are just intentional about our play and I think that has been really big for us. It's awesome to be where we are right now and we deserve it and I cannot wait to see where we go."
On playing Stanford again:
"It's a clean slate now, it is 0-0 basically. I think it is time to show when it really matters most and I think we are very excited."
Graduate Libero Mary Shroll
On what it feels like to be in the Sweet 16:
"It's really amazing. Being here is such a privilege and making it to this postseason. We know that there are a lot of people tuning in and we are just so excited to be here and moving forward with this."
On seeing the growth of the backline:
"We've worked really hard on our out of system defense so it makes the job back there so much easier when our blockers are there and connected up at the net. It is really fun to play defense around them, especially when they are making extremely good touches. I think that is an area that we have grown a lot in and we work hard in our gym every single day for that so really shouting out the blockers. When they get there and get those touches it makes it a lot easier."
On playing Stanford again:
"It's exciting. I am stoked we get to play Stanford again. I think our speed is really well matched against them and I know we have that confidence too of sweeping them at home, so I know we are really pumped."
How sweet it is ??
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) December 3, 2023
For the first time ever, the Sun Devils have won two NCAA Tournament games! #ForksUp /// #NCAAWVB pic.twitter.com/5jZBLd67Vv
Set One: ASU 25, BYU 20
An early 4-0 run with kills from Levinska and Jeter gave ASU a 4-2 lead. It was back and forth for a while until a block from Jeter and back-to-back aces from Levinska pushed the lead to 12-9, forcing BYU's first timeout. An error from the Cougars made it four in a row, extending the advantage to 13-9. After ASU's lead got down to one, Cyr crushed a ball out of a Sun Devil timeout to start three-straight points, making it 20-16. The teams traded points but Arizona State held its lead, with Levinska tooling the block at set point to win 25-20. She had eight kills in the first set, hitting .700.
Set Two: ASU 25, BYU 21
The Sun Devils held the momentum into the second set behind Levinska's serve. She opened the set on a 4-0 run with her serves, drilling an ace in the run. After some back and forth, she got her fourth ace of the set to make it 11-6 and force BYU's first timeout. Six-straight points with two aces from Shields pushed it to 19-10, bringing BYU's second timeout midway through the run. The Sun Devils allowed a pair of runs late in the set, including four in a row late to hold off set point and make it 24-21. However, a roll shot from Levinska got the 25-21 win.
The dig ?? The kill ??#NCAAWVB #SCtop10 x ?? ESPN+ / @SunDevilVB pic.twitter.com/jo7C0a49fP
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 3, 2023
Set Three: ASU 25, BYU 21
The third set was a battle to start. Four in a row from the Sun Devils gave them a 9-6 lead, capped off by an incredible dig from Estella Zatechka to set up the Cyr kill. BYU tied it up at 9-9 and the teams traded sideouts until Jeter got on a serving run, leading ASU to three-straight points to make it 14-11 and cause a timeout from the home team. Another 3-0 run from Arizona State pushed it to 17-12 and forced the second BYU timeout. The Cougars tried to make a late push, but the Sun Devils slammed the door with a kill from Levinska to win 25-21 and punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen.
Up Next
Arizona State will match up against No. 1 seed Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen. The match will be on December 7 at 8:30 p.m. PST/9:30 p.m. MST on ESPNU.