The ASU volleyball team's season began full of optimism and expectations, but when success eluded the Sun Devils, it became more about learning and growing together.
With seven sophomores on the roster, a key freshman and a senior playing her first and only full season with the team, the Sun Devils were still learning to play with each other and struggled to string together consistent play, finishing with an 8-20 record overall and eighth in the Pac-10 with a mark of 3-15.
"You're not going to beat many teams in the Pac-10 playing up and down," coach Brad Saindon said. "I think we're going to be good, but it takes time.
"It's hard to get a foothold in this conference to begin climbing up. But the core of our team is going to be around for two more years, so we're still very young and still learning to play the game the way we want to play."
ASU played in arguably the strongest volleyball conference in America, as six teams finished the season ranked in the top 15 in the country. The Sun Devils also played a tough non-conference schedule with four matches against teams ranked in the top 25 at some point during the season, including No. 7 Texas and No. 11 Notre Dame.
Overall, 16 of ASU's 20 losses this year came against ranked opponents.
"We just haven't won enough matches, and it's hard to keep motivated and keep working hard when you don't have those tangible results," Saindon said. "Obviously, we're disappointed with our record, but I'm really pleased with the progress we've made as a team and the progress some of my individual players have made."
After a slow start to the season, the Sun Devils entered into conference play on a role, winning five of their last six matches. ASU even won its own annual tournament in dominant fashion, only dropping one game during the three matches.
But the team hit a roadblock with the start of the Pac-10 season, falling into a funk that saw it lose eight in a row after opening up conference play with a three-game sweep of Oregon. The eight consecutive losses were one shy of the school's longest losing streak set in 1996.
"It was a rough season, but I think we've grown as a team because we stuck by each other during the hardest practices and the bad losses," sophomore libero Sydney Donahue said. "We still went out there trying to prove something every day."
ASU's troubles began with a five-game loss to Oregon State at home during the opening weekend of conference play. The Sun Devils had seven match points but were never able to close out the Beavers.
"We've put ourselves in a position to win over and over," Saindon said. "I can't think of how many games where it was 25-25 or 26-26 and we let them get away from us at the end. We're right with most of the teams in this conference, we just have to figure out a way to get over the hump."
This year was a record-setting season for Donahue, who averaged 6.41 digs per game, the highest mark in ASU history. She also recorded 628 digs to break the single-season school record, which stood for 15 years.
In a five-set loss to Notre Dame on Sept. 4, Donahue tallied 43 digs to shatter the ASU single-game rally scoring record of 30, and was one shy of the all-time school record.
The Notre Dame match was the closest the Sun Devils came to defeating a ranked opponent this year and led two games to one at one point.
"We've had some hard games, but I think those just give us confidence and shows us that we're close," Donahue said. "I think it will all just come together one day and we'll have a new beginning."
Donahue and junior outside hitter Nicole Morton were named All Pac-10 honorable mention and newcomer Margie Giordano earned Pac-10 All-Freshman honors. Morton led the Sun Devils in kills on the season, averaging 3.57 per game.
ASU returns all but two players next season.
"We've shown flashes of being a really good team," Saindon said. "I think with another spring under our belt we're going to be right in the middle of things next year."
Reach the reporter at derrik.miller@asu.edu.
