TEMPE, Ariz. — The Sun Devils swept the Eagles on Thursday night, powered by strong defense and offense, advancing to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
ASU played smart, staying ahead the entire match. Coppin State was held to no more than 14 points in any of the three sets.
This was the first meeting between ASU and Coppin State.
Coppin State head coach Tim Walsh arrived in an all-navy suit with bright yellow shoes that matched the team’s colors, showcasing his team’s eagerness for the game.
ASU’s strong front-row defense made it difficult for the Eagles to score. The Sun Devils held them to a -.082 hitting percentage.
Redshirt senior outside hitter TaKenya Stafford has carried Coppin State this season in kills and points, but she struggled against ASU’s defense and finished with five kills.
Senior outside hitter Tatum Parrott shone for ASU with five solo blocks and five kills.
“At the beginning, we talked about going into this game with a lot of energy, and I think that carried over to the game and we could feel it,” Parrott said. “The fans brought it to the court, so that just kind of fueled the fire.”
The Sun Devils opened strong by playing clean volleyball. The Eagles hindered themselves with unforced errors and simple mistakes.
Several miscommunications on the Coppin State side made it difficult to get the third ball over the net, giving ASU free points.
The Sun Devils also put pressure on the Eagles with tough serving that forced them out of the system.
“I think just being aggressive on the service line and getting them out of the system really opened up our offense to get blocks and put the pressure on them,” junior middle blocker Ella Lomigora said.
Lomigora finished with two kills and eight blocks to lead ASU in blocking.
During the match, ASU head coach JJ Van Niel subbed in sophomore middle blocker Zoey Burgess, who has seen limited time this season because of an early injury.
Burgess delivered with three kills and a .750 hitting percentage.
“It was great that we were able to get Zoey in there and she played well, had a few kills,” Van Niel said. “You never know what will happen.”
Junior outside hitter Noemie Glover posted 14 kills for the Sun Devils.
Glover mixed her shots, swinging hard down the line before switching to tips over the block to keep Coppin State off balance.
A few hours earlier, No. 7 Tennessee was upset by Utah State in a five-set match. ASU will face the Utah State Aggies on Friday night, hoping to stay alive in the tournament.
“Everything we are doing today is preparing us for tomorrow night,” Van Niel said. “If we have high efforts today, then we will have higher efforts tomorrow. That’s been the theme for a while.”
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Sun Devils swept the Eagles on Thursday night, powered by strong defense and offense, advancing to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
ASU played smart, staying ahead the entire match. Coppin State was held to no more than 14 points in any of the three sets.
This was the first meeting between ASU and Coppin State.
Coppin State head coach Tim Walsh arrived in an all-navy suit with bright yellow shoes that matched the team’s colors, showcasing his team’s eagerness for the game.
ASU’s strong front-row defense made it difficult for the Eagles to score. The Sun Devils held them to a -.082 hitting percentage.
Redshirt senior outside hitter TaKenya Stafford has carried Coppin State this season in kills and points, but she struggled against ASU’s defense and finished with five kills.
Senior outside hitter Tatum Parrott shone for ASU with five solo blocks and five kills.
“At the beginning, we talked about going into this game with a lot of energy, and I think that carried over to the game and we could feel it,” Parrott said. “The fans brought it to the court, so that just kind of fueled the fire.”
The Sun Devils opened strong by playing clean volleyball. The Eagles hindered themselves with unforced errors and simple mistakes.
Several miscommunications on the Coppin State side made it difficult to get the third ball over the net, giving ASU free points.
The Sun Devils also put pressure on the Eagles with tough serving that forced them out of the system.
“I think just being aggressive on the service line and getting them out of the system really opened up our offense to get blocks and put the pressure on them,” junior middle blocker Ella Lomigora said.
Lomigora finished with two kills and eight blocks to lead ASU in blocking.
During the match, ASU head coach JJ Van Niel subbed in sophomore middle blocker Zoey Burgess, who has seen limited time this season because of an early injury.
Burgess delivered with three kills and a .750 hitting percentage.
“It was great that we were able to get Zoey in there and she played well, had a few kills,” Van Niel said. “You never know what will happen.”
Junior outside hitter Noemie Glover posted 14 kills for the Sun Devils.
Glover mixed her shots, swinging hard down the line before switching to tips over the block to keep Coppin State off balance.
A few hours earlier, No. 7 Tennessee was upset by Utah State in a five-set match. ASU will face the Utah State Aggies on Friday night, hoping to stay alive in the tournament.
“Everything we are doing today is preparing us for tomorrow night,” Van Niel said. “If we have high efforts today, then we will have higher efforts tomorrow. That’s been the theme for a while.”