TEMPE – Wrapping up the Webb-Burbridge Classic undefeated, No. 14 Sun Devil Volleyball earned its fourth-straight sweep by beating Montana State (25-13, 25-23, 25-12) in Desert Financial Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Webb-Burbridge Classic All-Tournament Team is as follows:
Argentina Ung (MVP), Arizona State
Savannah Kjolhede, Arizona State
Mary Shroll, Arizona State
Jordan Heatherly, Memphis
Lauren Lindseth, Montana State
Janyah Henderson, Prairie View A&M
Notable Stats
Set One: ASU 25, Montana St. 13
The Sun Devils jumped out of the gate early and went on a 5 -1 run, which included back-to-back aces by freshman Piper Rama. A set from Ung placed a perfect kill opportunity for Cyr to give ASU an 8-3 lead, forcing Montana State to take its first timeout. The Sun Devils and Bobcats fought back-and-forth, but eventually the Sun Devils put together a 4-0 run to give them a 15-9 lead heading into Montana State's last timeout of the set. ASU continued to build on that momentum and concluded the set on a 14-4 run to win 25-13. Cyr racked up five kills while Kjolhede and Claire Jeter each had three kills.
Set Two: ASU 25, Montana St. 23
The Sun Devils trailed early 6-3 to the Bobcats but persevered and managed to tie it at 9-9 with the help of back-to-back kills by Ung. ASU and Montana State traded points until Shroll had two-straight service aces to give ASU a 16-15 lead heading into a timeout taken by Montana State. Despite a 3-0 run by the Bobcats, the Sun Devils were able to fight back and bring the deficit within a one point margin, trailing 21-20 heading into the Sun Devils' first timeout of the set. Coming out of the timeout, ASU managed to put together a 5-2 run to close out the second set 25-23 over Montana State with the help of two kills by Kjohlede.
Set Three: ASU 25, Montana St. 12
The Sun Devils started off hot and put together a 5-2 with the assistance of two kills by Kjolhede. After a 5-3 lead was put together by Montana State, ASU managed to put together another 4-0 run to take a 12-7 lead. The Sun Devils kept their foot on the gas and increased their run to 12-4 to give them a comfortable 20-11 lead over the Bobcats. ASU completed their 17-5 run in a fashionable manner to take the third set 25-12 over Montana State.
Up Next
Arizona State will play its first Big 12 matches next weekend, hitting the road to play at No. 23 TCU on Wednesday, which will be on ESPNU. On Friday, ASU will be at No. 20 Baylor.
Quotes
Arizona State head coach JJ Van Niel
Opening Statement
"It was a good weekend. Nice to come home. We head out for a tough couple matches next week, Wednesday and Friday at TCU and Baylor, so we will try and get ready for those. Today was overall a good match. We had a little bit of a tough time in the second set. We couldn't get serving pressure on them and missed some assignments. But I thought we did a good job battling back during the second set and then really put our foot on the gas in the third. It was to see them turn it around."
On confidence entering Big 12 play
"I think confidence is in most of our game right now. I'm probably most concerned about our serving, the inconsistency has been a little bit frustrating. So we have to reinvest there. We're playing two really, really strong teams in the Big 12 (TCU and Baylor). So we open up into the fire on the road, which is good, a little test. We have played at Nebraska, so hopefully that gives us a little bit of confidence going in there and playing in front of a big crowd and a big match. We'll be ready to go."
On Argentina Ung's performance and importance to the team
"Argentina is a leader on the court for sure. She's a great volleyball player. I'm not surprised when she plays well because I get to see it every day in practice. She just knows how to play the game. I mean, she had six kills. She makes some really crafty volleyball plays. We're lucky to have her and we were getting a bunch of serving runs when she was back there serving. She does so many things so well, and we can use her in so many different ways. It's great."
Graduate Middle Blocker Savannah Kjolhede
On how she performed in today's matchup
"Going into the game, I was really excited about conference play next week and I wanted to get a good start heading into conference. I think especially after this weekend that we've had, it's been a really great weekend. Argentina and I were just gelling and she was setting me dimes. Really thankful for her."
On what this weekend says about their team going into conference play
"I think it gives us a lot of confidence going into Big 12, which is great, and I think just being able to take four sweeps in a row, that's not an easy thing to do. It's easy to let up a little bit. It just shows the grit of our team and how hard we work."
Graduate Outside Hitter Shania Cromartie
On how they have built up the versatility of the team
"I think it all started in the spring. We all practice the right side, playing both right side and outside and just getting really familiar in both positions. So I think leading into season and carrying into season, that's what's helped us."
On what allowed her to have a successful day in today's matchup
"I think Argentina did a really good job at pushing the tempo and putting the ball right up in my window for me to be able to swing and if I wasn't there making sure I was able to manage the shot or maybe just cause chaos on the other side."
The Webb-Burbridge Classic All-Tournament Team is as follows:
Argentina Ung (MVP), Arizona State
Savannah Kjolhede, Arizona State
Mary Shroll, Arizona State
Jordan Heatherly, Memphis
Lauren Lindseth, Montana State
Janyah Henderson, Prairie View A&M
Notable Stats
- Arizona State improves to 11-1 on the season. Head coach JJ Van Niel is now 23-1 in non-conference play at ASU.
- This was the fourth-straight sweep for the Sun Devils, the fifth streak of three or more consecutive sweeps under Van Niel. Overall, there have been eight 3-0 wins this season for ASU.
- Graduate middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede had a new season high in kills in the win with 10. This is the 15th match in her career with double-digit kills. She also had three blocks, all solo.
- At libero, graduate Mary Shroll led all players with 13 digs. This is her 14th-straight match in double figures for digs, extending the longest streak of her career. She also had two aces.
- With a match-high 11 kills, senior outside hitter Geli Cyr had her seventh match of the season with double-digit kills, second in a row. She had five digs as well.
- Graduate setter Argentina Ung had a strong game both in assists (32) and on offense, bringing in six kills. She had a .857 percentage: six kills on seven attempts with no errors.
Ending our first weekend at home with a bang ??#ForksUp pic.twitter.com/9fKg19n2Fs
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) September 21, 2024
Set One: ASU 25, Montana St. 13
The Sun Devils jumped out of the gate early and went on a 5 -1 run, which included back-to-back aces by freshman Piper Rama. A set from Ung placed a perfect kill opportunity for Cyr to give ASU an 8-3 lead, forcing Montana State to take its first timeout. The Sun Devils and Bobcats fought back-and-forth, but eventually the Sun Devils put together a 4-0 run to give them a 15-9 lead heading into Montana State's last timeout of the set. ASU continued to build on that momentum and concluded the set on a 14-4 run to win 25-13. Cyr racked up five kills while Kjolhede and Claire Jeter each had three kills.
Set Two: ASU 25, Montana St. 23
The Sun Devils trailed early 6-3 to the Bobcats but persevered and managed to tie it at 9-9 with the help of back-to-back kills by Ung. ASU and Montana State traded points until Shroll had two-straight service aces to give ASU a 16-15 lead heading into a timeout taken by Montana State. Despite a 3-0 run by the Bobcats, the Sun Devils were able to fight back and bring the deficit within a one point margin, trailing 21-20 heading into the Sun Devils' first timeout of the set. Coming out of the timeout, ASU managed to put together a 5-2 run to close out the second set 25-23 over Montana State with the help of two kills by Kjohlede.
Set Three: ASU 25, Montana St. 12
The Sun Devils started off hot and put together a 5-2 with the assistance of two kills by Kjolhede. After a 5-3 lead was put together by Montana State, ASU managed to put together another 4-0 run to take a 12-7 lead. The Sun Devils kept their foot on the gas and increased their run to 12-4 to give them a comfortable 20-11 lead over the Bobcats. ASU completed their 17-5 run in a fashionable manner to take the third set 25-12 over Montana State.
S3 | Check the floor for dents after that kill from Shania ??
— Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) September 21, 2024
???: ESPN+#ForksUp pic.twitter.com/MUun6QwZA9
Up Next
Arizona State will play its first Big 12 matches next weekend, hitting the road to play at No. 23 TCU on Wednesday, which will be on ESPNU. On Friday, ASU will be at No. 20 Baylor.
Quotes
Arizona State head coach JJ Van Niel
Opening Statement
"It was a good weekend. Nice to come home. We head out for a tough couple matches next week, Wednesday and Friday at TCU and Baylor, so we will try and get ready for those. Today was overall a good match. We had a little bit of a tough time in the second set. We couldn't get serving pressure on them and missed some assignments. But I thought we did a good job battling back during the second set and then really put our foot on the gas in the third. It was to see them turn it around."
On confidence entering Big 12 play
"I think confidence is in most of our game right now. I'm probably most concerned about our serving, the inconsistency has been a little bit frustrating. So we have to reinvest there. We're playing two really, really strong teams in the Big 12 (TCU and Baylor). So we open up into the fire on the road, which is good, a little test. We have played at Nebraska, so hopefully that gives us a little bit of confidence going in there and playing in front of a big crowd and a big match. We'll be ready to go."
On Argentina Ung's performance and importance to the team
"Argentina is a leader on the court for sure. She's a great volleyball player. I'm not surprised when she plays well because I get to see it every day in practice. She just knows how to play the game. I mean, she had six kills. She makes some really crafty volleyball plays. We're lucky to have her and we were getting a bunch of serving runs when she was back there serving. She does so many things so well, and we can use her in so many different ways. It's great."
Graduate Middle Blocker Savannah Kjolhede
On how she performed in today's matchup
"Going into the game, I was really excited about conference play next week and I wanted to get a good start heading into conference. I think especially after this weekend that we've had, it's been a really great weekend. Argentina and I were just gelling and she was setting me dimes. Really thankful for her."
On what this weekend says about their team going into conference play
"I think it gives us a lot of confidence going into Big 12, which is great, and I think just being able to take four sweeps in a row, that's not an easy thing to do. It's easy to let up a little bit. It just shows the grit of our team and how hard we work."
Graduate Outside Hitter Shania Cromartie
On how they have built up the versatility of the team
"I think it all started in the spring. We all practice the right side, playing both right side and outside and just getting really familiar in both positions. So I think leading into season and carrying into season, that's what's helped us."
On what allowed her to have a successful day in today's matchup
"I think Argentina did a really good job at pushing the tempo and putting the ball right up in my window for me to be able to swing and if I wasn't there making sure I was able to manage the shot or maybe just cause chaos on the other side."