Hockey
In a highly anticipated matchup, Sun Devil hockey played in the newly constructed Mullett Arena for the first time in a two-game series against Colgate this past weekend.
The Sun Devils recorded a 2-0 shut-out in game one with goals from sophomore forward Josh Doan and junior forward Ryan O’Reilly.
The Raiders won more faceoffs and had more shots on net, but sophomore goaltender TJ Semptimphelter was perfect with 30 saves to claim his second clean sheet.
Game two was not as joyous of an occasion for the home team. The Sun Devils lacked offense and physicality, losing 36 faceoffs and only getting 30 shots on goal. Failure to convert on power plays led to frustrations toward the end of the game. A couple of roughing penalties by graduate student forward Demetrios Koumontzis and junior forward Lukas Sillinger led to a goal by sophomore forward Alex DiPaolo that sealed the game for Colgate.
Despite giving up four goals in a 4-0 loss, Semptimphelter was solid in goal. The sophomore goaltender had 38 saves on 42 attempts and held down the fort the best he could.
ASU is now 2-4 overall and has yet to win a season series this season. The buzz for hockey is high in the desert, and despite the lackluster start, the Sun Devils are optimistic about the future and the excitement fans brought to Mullett Arena.
"What an atmosphere, what an experience," head coach Greg Powers said. "It is one all of us will remember for the rest of our lives."
The Sun Devils will compete in another weekend series at 7 p.m. on Oct. 21 and 22 against Colorado College in Tempe.
Volleyball
ASU volleyball took on two Pac-12 opponents this past week in Cal and No. 7 Stanford and came away with a win and a loss, respectively.
ASU played Cal on Friday and swept the Golden Bears. The first set of the match was high energy for the Sun Devils as senior outside hitter Iman Isanovic had two kills and one block within the first four points, allowing the Sun Devils to take a 4-0 lead.
Cal tried to gain momentum but had little effect on the Sun Devils' offense and defense. Freshman outside hitter Leah Miller and Isanovic were a team at the net and scored five kills and two blocks early in the game to get ahead 10-7. The Sun Devils went on to win the set 25-14.
ASU started rocky in the second set and was losing 5-2, but bounced back after junior middle blocker Claire Jeter made two kills. The rest of the set was back and forth, but ultimately the Sun Devils took the set 25-21 with junior outside hitter Roberta Rabelo scoring four kills for the win.
The third set was back and forth but had a notable point streak produced by Rabelo's kills and senior libero Annika Larson-Nummer's ace, which allowed the Sun Devils to gain five points in a row. The set ended with a kill from Rabelo and an attack error on Cal. ASU won 31-29.
The Sun Devils' exciting win over the Bears led them to face No. 7 Stanford two days later on Sunday.
The first set was fast-paced for the Sun Devils. Jeter and Isanovic were big contributors in kills, especially in the last five points. The Sun Devils won the first set 25-22.
ASU was looking to win the second set as the first 10 points of the game were aggressive and relied heavily on kills from Rabelo and sophomore outside hitter Geli Cyr. However, the Sun Devils could not pull out another win, losing 25-23.
The Sun Devils were looking to break the match tie in the third set and did so by defending against Stanford and creating their own offense. Stanford went on a five-point streak, which dampened the Sun Devils' energy for the rest of the set. Stanford then went on to have many other streaks of points with little rebuttal from the Sun Devils. ASU lost 25-16.
ASU was strong at the beginning of the fourth set with kills from senior setter Shannon Shields, Miller, Rabelo and Isanovic, which put the team in the lead at 9-8. Stanford then went on to gain more streaks, and the Sun Devils could not overcome the deficit. ASU lost the set 25-16.
The Sun Devils hit the court again when they travel to take on Washington on Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. MST.
Triathlon
The Sun Devils put on a dominant performance in the NCAA West Regional Qualifier triathlon in Stockton, Missouri, on Oct. 15.
ASU scored 123 points, beating South Dakota (82 points), Denver (80 points), and San Francisco (59 points). By winning the event, the Sun Devils can now choose their starting position in the 2022 National Championship race.
Not only did ASU dominate the team standings, but it also managed to occupy five of the top four individual places. Freshman Heidi Jurankova won her first collegiate victory after narrowly beating out teammate junior Amber Schlebusch in the final mile of the run.
Senior Liberty Ricca and freshman Naomi Ruff fell just short of the podium coming in fourth and fifth respectively.
The Sun Devils will finish off their 2022 campaign vying for their sixth straight national title on Nov. 12 in Tempe at Tempe Town Lake North Beach.
Soccer
Following the team's three straight losses, Sun Devil soccer followed up with a Friday tie 0-0 against Utah.
The Sun Devils desperately needed points in the Pac-12 table to reach their goal of making the NCAA Tournament this season.
The first-half play for ASU was solid. An aggressive start allowed the Sun Devils to make the Utes uncomfortable with their ability to keep redshirt freshman goalkeeper Kasey Wardle under pressure and on her toes by firing five shots toward the goal.
The main storyline from Friday's game was sophomore forward Caetlyn Johannes making her season debut. She looked to provide a breather for graduate student forward Nicole Douglas and give the Utes a different look offensively.
The Utes played more aggressively in the second half as they put pressure on the Sun Devil defense and freshman goalkeeper Pauline Nelles. Nelles made a huge save 54 minutes in to keep the game tied at zero.
The Sun Devils continue conference play on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. MST as they visit Washington State.
Edited by Kathryn Field, David Rodish and Greta Forslund.
Reach the reporters at alkalmba@asu.edu, sstaple5@asu.edu, agupt208@asu.edu.and bsilvyn@asu.edu and follow them @adokalm32 and @BSilvyn on Twitter.
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sports reporter
Addison Kalmbach is a reporter for The State Press Sports desk. He has previously worked for Detroit City FC and PHOENIX Magazine.
Bennett Silvyn is a reporter for the sports desk at The State Press. He has previously worked for Walter Cronkite Sports Network and FC Tucson.
