AUSTIN, Texas. - Arizona State went into its matchup against Texas with high hopes, coming off a four-game win streak and sweeping the competition in the Texas State Invitational earlier in the weekend. Unfortunately for the maroon and gold, the hot start came to an end.
In Head Coach JJ Van Neil’s three years at ASU, the Sun Devils have only lost two non-conference games. This loss was the third for the squad during his tenure.
ASU’s last win over the Longhorns was in 2013 at the Illini Classic. Texas has dominated the Sun Devils in the history of both of their volleyball teams.
Today was no exception; the Longhorns took every set. Texas showed dominance throughout every portion of the game. From their high-scoring runs to their ability to control the game, the Longhorns showed why they are second-ranked in the NCAA.
The Longhorns came out swinging, racking up a 4-0 scoring run early in the set before ASU had to call a timeout. Freshman outside hitter Cari Spears led the Horns’ charge with 18 total kills on 34 total attempts.
ASU bounced back quickly after being down on the scoreboard. Senior middle blocker Tatum Parrott ended the Longhorns’ scoring streak with a kill assisted by Redshirt Sophomore Setter Brynn Covell.
Texas came out victorious in set one with two kills in a row, ending the set with a score of 25-18.
The second set saw a more even exchange of scoring between ASU and Texas than the first. Spears delivered the final kill to earn Texas the set, sending the Austin crowd into a frenzy.
The final exchange between Spears and ASU’s junior middle blocker, Ella Lomigora, led Texas to reach match point twice before winning the set with a score of 30-28
Set three saw another scoring streak from the Longhorns, reaching three kills before ASU’s junior outside hitter Jillian Neal ended their streak with a kill of her own.
The star Sun Devils of the game were Covell and senior outside hitter Bailey Miller. Covell reached a career high of 36 assists during the match. Miller led the team in kills with 15, which extends her streak of games with double-digit kills.
ASU put up a fighting chance, but in the end, Texas came out on top, reaching a score of 25-15 to sweep the match.
The Sun Devils look to defend their home win streak on September 19th when they face Pepperdine in the Sun Devil Classic. As of now, they do not face another ranked opponent in the regular season.