HAMILTON, N.Y. – No. 7 Sun Devil Volleyball started off the week with a sweep (25-10, 25-12, 26-24) over Colgate on Thursday evening at the Colgate Volleyball Classic.
Notable stats
- With a variety of Sun Devils seeing action in the match, Arizona State (3-1) outhit Colgate (1-3) .345 to .095. This was the second match this season that ASU has held a team to below a .100 clip (also Texas, .065).
- Eight different Sun Devils earned a kill in the win.
- Junior outside hitter Una Vajagić led all players in kills with 14, her 11th match in a row with double-digit kills. She hit .444 and neared a double-double with nine digs.
- Primarily pacing the offense was freshman Elle Mottola, collecting 26 assists, four blocks (team high), three digs and an ace.
- Nearing double figures in kills was senior opposite Noemie Glover with nine on a .368 clip. Graduate outside hitter Aniya Clinton had a solid outing as well, hitting .500 with six kills.
- On fire from the service line, junior libero Piper Rama had three aces, a new career high for her. She also matched her personal best in digs with eight.
- Multiple student-athletes saw action for the first time this season. Junior middle blocker Antonina Serafinowska made her Sun Devil debut, while freshmen Ella Hope and Paige Lehman got on the court for the first time in their collegiate careers. Hope added two blocks and a kill, while Serafinowska earned two blocks as well.
- Freshman outside hitter Grace Martin contributed to the win, playing in the last two sets. She notched four kills and six digs.
Set one: ASU 25, Colgate 10
The Sun Devils were firing on all cylinders in the first set, going error-free and holding the Raiders to a -.042 clip. The set began with four-straight points with kills from Glover and Vajagić. ASU put together a few more short runs until Rama served her squad to an 8-0 run, making it 19-8. Rama had three aces in that span. With kills from three different Sun Devils, ASU ended the set on a 6-1 run to win 25-10.
Set two: ASU 25, Colgate 12
Arizona State kept the momentum going in the second frame, opening up a 9-4 lead after scoring seven-consecutive points, due in part to three errors from Colgate and a few kills from junior Zoey Burgess. Rama notched her third ace as part of a 3-0 run to extend the lead to 12-5. Vajagić earned three kills to drive the Sun Devils to four-straight points, making it 16-7. With senior Isabella Costantini serving, ASU scored five in a row to get to set point, 24-11. Finally, a kill from Burgess won it, 25-12. The Maroon and Gold hit .522 in this set.
Set three: ASU 26, Colgate 24
Colgate led early in the third set, but a 5-1 run from ASU gave the visiting team the 7-6 lead, a run that saw three kills from Glover. Costantini’s strong serving continued into this frame as she sparked the team to four-straight points, a 12-8 lead, and a Raider timeout. However, the home team stayed in the set by scoring four in a row to knot it up at 12-12. The teams traded short runs for a bit of the set until Colgate took back the lead at 18-17. It was back and forth until the end of the set, neither team able to score more than two in a row. A Raiders error and a block from Lomigora and Mottola put the Sun Devils at match point, 24-23. After Colgate fought off one match point, a kill from Martin and a block from Hope and Mottola clinched the sweep.
Up next
Arizona State will play its second match at the Colgate Volleyball Classic on Thursday, facing Princeton at 3 p.m. MST/6 p.m. EDT. It will be streamed on YouTube.
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