Tempe, Ariz – No. 8 Arizona State volleyball kept its winning ways going, sweeping in-state rival Grand Canyon University three sets to zero in the Sun Devil Classic.
This would be ASU’s second game in the tournament and GCU’s third and final.
With both teams posting strong records and convincing resumes, many expected an exciting, back-and-forth contest between two competing schools.
The Antelopes looked to play spoiler early, yet the Sun Devils jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. GCU later cut the lead to as close to one, but ASU turned up the energy and pulled away to win the set 25-16, capped off with an emphatic kill by senior outside hitter Bailey Miller.
Miller credited getting the middles going as a key way to sustain offense and put pressure on opposing teams.
“I think from a volleyball standpoint, getting our middles going too. That’s been a thing we've been working on,” Miller said. “I think continuing to get them going, then we’ll have a super complete offense.”
Now leading 1-0, ASU stepped up its intensity and seized a convincing two-set lead, but the Lopes didn’t make it easy.
GCU took a very early 2-1 lead off of a couple of Sun Devil miscues, but ASU rebounded and never looked back.
The Sun Devils went on to win the set 25-19, taking a commanding 2-0 lead.
ASU fired on all cylinders, as it took a commanding 6-0 early lead over the Antelopes in the third set. This dominance continued, as the lead grew to as much as 11.
Block after block, kill after kill, the Sun Devils overmatched GCU to the brink of defeat.
As the Desert Financial Arena crowd grew restless, GCU sophomore libero Hunter West delivered the serve. ASU received, set it up, and junior opposite hitter Noemi Glover slammed it down, sealing the set 25–14.
Glover led the Sun Devils in kills, fitting for the game’s ending.
With this straight set sweep, ASU collected its second consecutive win in the tournament. Saturday’s victory also marked the Sun Devils’ sixth consecutive set win, as they also swept their previous opponent, Pepperdine, on Friday.
This was a dominant victory for ASU, as they held GCU to a hitting percentage (kills and errors divided by total attempts) of 0.104% over the course of the match, which included a third set with a total of -0.095%.
Head Coach JJ Van Niel credited the team's physicality for helping achieve this stifling defense.
“We have a goal for the whole season. They know it's a big thing, and we have a very physical team and I think they also take a lot of pride in their physicality.” Van Niel said.
GCU drops to 8-3 and looks to regroup after a 2-1 finish in the Sun Devil Classic. The Lopes head home to face Boise State to begin conference play in the Mountain West.
The Sun Devils improve to 8-2 on the season and remain undefeated at home. ASU finishes the Sun Devil Classic, taking on Milwaukee, hoping to ride its momentum and close out the weekend on a high note before Big 12 play begins.