TEMPE, ARIZ. – California volleyball (7-10, 0-7 Pac-12) put together yet another competitive outing on Friday evening, taking on Arizona State (9-10, 3-4 Pac-12) in a ferocious battle that thrilled the crowd at Desert Financial Arena. Although the Sun Devils ultimately won the match, 3-0, the score fell into the pattern that has both delighted and plagued Bears fans throughout conference play: like many other Cal matches this season, the true story and measure of this team is told through individual sets, not the final score.
The Bears returned to their top-blocking ways against ASU, posting 10.0 total stonewalls as a team that included 5 for freshman Sophie Scott and 4 for classmate Mikayla Hayden. Fellow frosh Peyton DeJardin accumulated a career-high eight digs, while sophomore Kendall Jensen collected 22 assists for Cal.
Arizona State jumped out to an early lead to start off the match and held onto it throughout the entire first set, despite Cal stringing together small scoring runs to outpace the Sun Devils at multiple points. The home team eventually took the first set, 25-14; however, they soon found, like several previous teams this season, that these Bears were no easy opponent.
In the second set, it was Cal’s turn to put together an early lead, giving the visitors some leeway despite a 4-0 Arizona State response. From there, the score was tight throughout the entire set, the two teams trading points back and forth and combining for no fewer than 12 ties. Junior Lydia Grote…
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