SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 12 Sun Devil Volleyball came up short to No. 20 USC, falling in straight sets (25-23, 25-21, 25-22) on Saturday afternoon at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase.
Notable stats
- Arizona State (2-1) dropped its first match of the season against USC in a matchup. In a tough three-match stretch to start the season against three ranked opponents, ASU picked up two of those wins.
- Junior outside hitter Una Vajagić had another strong outing this afternoon, leading the team in kills with 13 on a .360 clip. She has had double-digit kills in her last 10 matches. She also had a team-high nine digs for a near double-double and two aces.
- Pin hitters Noemie Glover and Aniya Clinton each added eight kills.
- Senior middle blocker Ella Lomigora had five blocks to lead the team. She also added a pair of kills.
- Pacing the offense for the majority of the match was freshman setter Elle Mottola. She had 23 assists, eight digs, three kills and two blocks.
- Two freshmen made their collegiate debuts in the match. Setter Živa Labinjan came in the second set and collected three assists. Outside hitter Grace Martin saw time in the third set.
Set one: USC 25, ASU 23
Arizona State played from behind for most of the first set. They kept it within one with kills from four different Sun Devils until the Trojans grew their lead to four, 12-8. Behind three kills and an ace from Vajagić, ASU fought back to get within one, down 15-14. A few rallies later, Clinton and Lomigora’s block tied it at 16-16. Following some back and forth, USC scored three in a row to break a tie and go up 22-19. However, a kill from Burgess and an ace from Isabella Costantini made it a one-point set, 23-22, forcing a Trojans timeout. Vajagić tooled the block and knotted it up out of the break at 23 all. The comeback fell short as a couple of Sun Devil errors lost the set, 25-23.
Set two: USC 25, ASU 21
The Trojans kept their momentum into the second frame as the Sun Devils trailed for the entire set. Vajagić was the main point scorer in the middle of the set, and she caught fire with a kill and ace to help ASU on a 4-0 run to cut the lead to 19-17. USC built the lead back up, and a few late kills from Clinton were not enough as ASU fell 25-21.
Set three: USC 25, ASU 22
The Sun Devils took control to start the third set, an ace from Piper Rama sparking the team early on. ASU put together a 5-0 run to lead 10-4, a run that saw two kills from Clinton. However, USC responded with five-straight points of its own to lead 13-12. A block from Glover and Lomigora took back the lead at 14-13, but later the Trojans scored three in a row to get up 17-16. The game of runs continued as Vajagić powered her team to a run of five to lead again, 21-17, scoring on four of the five points. Momentum swung again as the Trojans went on a 6-1 run to take back the lead at 23-22. USC ended on a 5-0 run to win the set, 25-22, and the match.
Up next
The road trip continues next weekend for Arizona State at the Colgate Volleyball Classic in Hamilton, N.Y. from Thursday to Saturday. ASU will face Colgate, Princeton and Villanova.
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