ASU volleyball took on the University of California and No. 15 Stanford University this weekend in Tempe, coming out on top against both teams 3-0 and 3-1, respectively.
The weekend victories extended the Sun Devils' winning streak to five games, with the team not only upsetting Stanford, but beating other ranked opponents such as No. 14 UCLA and No. 18 University of Utah.
On Friday's game against the Golden Bears, the Sun Devils looked dominant in almost every category. The team as a whole registered 43 kills and eight service aces. Freshman outside hitter Geli Cyr led the team with 14 kills and six digs. Cyr has been a key offensive weapon for the team since coming back from her shoulder injury, according to head coach Sanja Tomasevic.
Sophomore setter Ella Snyder ran an efficient offense as the team had an overall hitting percentage of .337. Snyder herself had 33 assists, making her the first Sun Devil to surpass 50 assists since 2018.
After starting the season in a tight settle battle between Snyder, junior Shannon Shields and freshman Allie Gray, Snyder has ultimately taken full control of the offense.
On Cal's side of the net, things were a bit ugly. Freshman libero Sarah Schrag only had six digs and no player registered double-digit kills. However, Cal was without All-Pac-12 team senior outside hitter Mima Mirkovic and senior outside hitter Katie Smoot.
Fans in attendance at Desert Financial Arena got to watch a great game between Stanford and ASU. After dropping the first set 22-25, the Sun Devils came back to win the next three sets, 25-19, 25-21 and 25-17, respectively.
Junior outside hitter Iman Isanovic recorded a double-double with 19 kills and 15 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Claire Jeter played a well-rounded game, registering ten kills, three digs and two blocks.
Stanford was without their starting setter, freshman Kami Miner and junior outside hitter Kendall Kipp. In their absence, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Caitie Baird led the way with 20 kills and 15 digs.
Earlier this season, ASU had lost seven matches with five sets, setting a frustrating trend for the team. Losing against the University of Louisville, University of Georgia, University of Nevada Las Vegas, UA, Oregon University, University of Washington and USC in five sets. However, the team has been able to turn things around during this five-game win streak.
"It's fun to see our girls getting into a grove and playing with confidence," Tomasevic said after Friday's win against Cal.
After this weekend's wins, ASU's record improved to 13-10 (.565 winning percentage) overall and 6-6 (.500 winning percentage) overall in conference play, placing them as eighth in the Pac-12.
The Sun Devils will look to extend its winning streak next weekend when they take on University of Washington and Washington State University on Nov. 5 and Nov. 7 at 7:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. MST in Washington. ASU is coming off losses to both teams from previous matchups earlier this season.
Reach the reporter at ahoppes1@asu.edu and follow @aviannahoppes on Twitter.
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