Volleyball
ASU volleyball made the trip to Waco, Texas, home of the Baylor University Bears, to play in the Baylor Invitational this past weekend.
ASU kicked off the tournament on Sept. 9 against the University of Evansville. The Sun Devils used the fresh start to dominate the game and won 3-0 in sets.
Andi Kreiling, a sophomore middle blocker, led the game with eight kills and five blocks. Marta Levinska, a junior outside hitter, also had eight kills and ended the game with two blocks.
ASU quickly transitioned into the next game against Colorado State University. ASU won the first match against the Rams 25-15. Levinska controlled the set with her kill accuracy.
The Sun Devils struggled during the second set against CSU. ASU eventually pulled out a close win against CSU, but had a slow start at the beginning of the set. The Sun Devils gained momentum from their attacking players like Levinska, Kreiling and senior outside hitter Iman Isanovic. The final score of this set was 26-24.
The third set of the match was extremely close, but the Sun Devils fell 25-22. Isanovic, Kreiling, Levinska and sophomore outside hitter Geli Cyr kept the attack up at the net allowing the Sun Devils to keep pace with CSU. In the middle of the set, CSU took the lead and kept it with their attacks and service records.
The fourth set against CSU was tough for the Sun Devils, with the final score coming in at 25-17, a loss for ASU.
ASU entered the final set with a 2-2 tie and eventually lost 15-9. The Rams gained an early lead in the set which carried through the rest of the match. ASU could not gain enough momentum to defeat the Rams and lost 3-2.
ASU went on to face the No. 15 Baylor Bears on Saturday in Baylor's home stadium. The Sun Devils led the first set with a run of four points thanks to several errors by the Bears. The Bears eventually overcame the slow start and took over the set, pulling out a 25-16 win.
The second set was a new start for the Sun Devils and the team started off with a three-point streak. The Sun Devils lost momentum and allowed the Bears to get their own point streaks. The set was close nearing the end but the Bears eventually prevailed, winning the set 25-23.
The Sun Devils were looking for a win in the third set, but could not pull it off. The Sun Devils started off slow and quickly found themselves falling behind. A run from Cyr gave ASU some momentum late in the set, but the Sun Devils could not keep the momentum up and lost 25-17. The Bears came away with a 3-0 win.
The Sun Devils are preparing for the Red Raider Classic at Texas Tech University starting Friday, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. MST.
Men's golf
History was made this past weekend as the men' golf team produced its lowest three-round tournament score in the history of the program finishing with an 800 (271-257-272). ASU finished the 2022 Maui Jim Intercollegiate as a runner-up to Auburn with an exceptional 12-under performance by the veteran, senior Ryggs Johnston.
Freshman standout Michael Mjsaaseth showcased his impressive potential tacking on a 4-under par 72 performance to tie for the win in his Sun Devil debut. Returning sophomore Kiko Coelho also chipped in with four-under just barely missing a spot on the top 10 rankings.
The remarkable weekend featured an abundance of records and highlight moments, but the spotlight was on senior Gabe Salvanera. Salvanera finished 7-under 63 Saturday which was tying for fourth lowest round in program history. The overall team card was ASU's best ever.
Former Sun Devil superstar David Puig announced Monday his move to join LIV Golf. He will head to Chicago this week to prepare for his first professional event.
Arizona State's next stop will be in Olympia Fields, Illinois for the Fighting Illini Invitational from Sept. 16-18.
Edited by Kathryn Field, Wyatt Myskow and Piper Hansen.
Reach the reporters at sstaple5@asu.edu and shstern1@asu.edu and follow them at @SamSternnba.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.
