TEMPE – Clinched by a three-set victory by the No. 1 pair of Lexi Sweeney and Kylie Wickley, Sun Devil Beach Volleyball rallied from down 2-0 to came back to upset No. 18 Arizona 3-2 in the home opener on Wednesday afternoon.
Arizona State (7-7, 3-2 Pac-12) won its third dual over Arizona (12-4, 2-3 Pac-12) in the last four meetings, including two in a row at home. The Sun Devils earned their first ranked win of the season. This victory gives ASU a half point in the Territorial Cup Series to cut into Arizona’s lead, 6 to 5.5.
The Sand Devils lost the two matches on courts two and four in the first flight to trail 2-0 in the dual. Then the comeback began in the second flight. It started with a straight-set win from the freshman pair of Adriana Nieves Papaleo and Carys Thomas on court five. The No. 3 pair of Taryn Ames and Sarah Waters followed that up by winning their match in three sets to tie the dual at 1-1.
It all came down to court one. After Sweeney and Wickely lost the first set, they rallied to win the second set 21-18 to force a third. The start of the third was neck and neck before ASU pulled away, winning 15-11 to clinch the win.
The No. 3 and 5 pairs both improved to 9-5 on the year, which leads the team in wins.
Final Results (Order of Finish: 4, 2, 5, 3, 1*)
- Lexi Sweeney/Kylie Wickley (ASU) def. Blacker/Parkhurst (UA) 17-21, 21-18, 15-11
- Russell/Shannon (UA) def. Anya Pemberton/Ivey Weber (ASU) 22-24, 21-11, 15-7
- Taryn Ames/Sarah Waters (ASU) def. Cook/Rennie (UA) 21-14, 20-22, 15-10
- Gedikoglu/Uhl (UA) def. Kate Fitzgerald/Rylie Kael (ASU) 21-12, 26-24
- Adriana Nieves Papaleo/Carys Thomas (ASU) def. Erro/Kost (UA) 21-19, 21-19
Quotes
Senior Lexi Sweeney
On the clutch win
“We had a really good pep rally right before the end. Kylie and I have been working off the court to form a better connection and figure out how to talk to each other.”
On improving team chemistry
“People don’t see it because it is behind closed doors, but we have gotten a lot closer. Even the freshmen have really stuck to our team and integrated quite easily.”
On home support
“It’s awesome. It is amazing especially with the support given last year. We want to prove that we deserve to be a part of this family and facilities. I think we did that today.”
Head Coach Brad Keenan
On having success with a tough schedule
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