ASU volleyball dropped a five-set match to Utah, 25-22, 14-25, 27-25, 15-25, 11-15, Saturday night in Pac-12 Conference play at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
The Sun Devils (7-7, 0-2 Pac-12) started off strong in the first set, but maintaining that momentum was an issue all night for ASU.
"We weren't very consistent tonight, didn't execute on our side of the net," ASU head coach Stevie Mussie said. "As a team we need to focus on playing cleaner and limiting our errors. We're going to get back to Tempe, rest up, and get healthy in time to finally open up at home. I'm excited to introduce this team to our fans."
Even after leading the match 2-1, the Sun Devils looked like they were constantly on their heels, allowing Utah to open the fourth set on a 5-0 run.
The Utes (11-2, 2-0 Pac-12) have emerged as one of the stronger teams in the Pac-12, gaining national recognition. After finishing last season with only 10 wins, they have already produced 11 in the first 13 matches.
ASU senior outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell recorded another double-double performance with 16 kills and a season high 15 digs.
Also posting a double-double, senior outside hitter Maya McClendon recorded 12 kills and 16 digs, while junior middle blocker Oluoma Okaro added 15 kills and three blocks.
For Utah, Adora Anae led with 22 kills and 12 digs, while Berkeley Oblad and Tawnee Luafalemana added 8 and 9 blocks respectively.
After a 14-game road trip to start the season, the Sun Devils finally return home to open at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday, Sept. 30, hosting Oregon at 6 p.m. PT.
Reach the reporter at jeff.sullivan@asu.edu or follow @jsullivansports on Twitter
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