BERKELEY – California volleyball went toe-to-toe with another tough Pac-12 foe on Sunday, falling to No. 25 Arizona State in five sets at Haas Pavilion. The clash between the Sun Devils (15-1, 3-1 Pac-12) and the Golden Bears (12-3, 1-3) featured a pair of teams that went undefeated in nonconference play.
For Cal, junior Annalea Maeder (49 assists, 14 digs) and senior Sam Taumoepeau (18 kills, 12 digs) each recorded a double-double, while freshman Maggie Li led the squad with 19 kills and senior Tara DeSa added 21 digs. Arizona State was powered by the efficient play of opposite hitter Marta Levinska, who totaled 30 kills on .482 hitting, while setter Shannon Shields notched 54 assists and outside hitter Geli Cyr paced the court with 22 digs. Both teams encountered trouble at the service line, combining for 29 total service errors.
The Bears out-hit the Sun Devils, .303 to .242, in the first set. Cal scored first on an ASU service error followed by an ace from Li, but the visitors quickly surged back to tie up the score at 4-4. Both teams matched each other point-for-point throughout most of the set, forcing 13 total ties. It was a late 5-0 run – sparked by a kill from Li and continued with two service aces from Maeder – that put Cal ahead for good before Taumoepeau’s next kill closed out the set, 25-23.
In a reversal of fortune, the Sun Devils subsequently out-hit the Bears, .472 to .237, in the second set. The two teams started off by exchanging points…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at California Golden Bears Athletics…