Kirunchyk and her partner, senior Samaya Morin, won the match that clinched ASU’s third victory this season on Saturday, Feb. 21, as the No. 11 Sun Devils (3-0) swept Colorado Mesa (0-3) 5-0.

After starting the first set of their match tied with the Mavericks 8-8, Kirunchyk and Morin kept the ball out of Colorado Mesa’s reach and took advantage of some critical mistakes made by the opposition in order to tip the momentum in their favor, winning the first set 21-15.

The pair’s momentum kept soaring, starting their second set 5-0. Despite following this strong start with some key errors, Kirunchyk and Morin sealed the match with verbal encouragement from their teammates on the sidelines, winning the second set 21-13.

This decisive win improves ASU's all-time record against the Mavericks to 9-0, and its record on the season improves to 3-0.

Sun Devils senior McKenna Flaherty and her partner, junior Kristin Gilmour, had a dominant showing in their match against Colorado Mesa’s Addie Ritterbush and Lauren Rohlwing. 

In the first set, Flaherty and Gilmour kept the Mavericks on their toes, hitting the ball so it would just miss the outstretched hands of the Mavericks. Colorado Mesa struggled to find the hustle to be able to field these hard hits, leading ASU to win the first set 21-9.

The second set showcased a better start for the Mavericks, as the Sun Devils began to make some small mistakes that piled up in a big way. However, as was the theme for ASU in their morning match against the Mavericks, Flaherty and Gilmour were able to take the momentum back and win the second set 21-17.

Sun Devils senior Kendall Whitmarsh and junior Olivia McElroy played in the closest set of the entire matchup between ASU and Colorado Mesa, winning a tight first set against the Mavericks’ Stormi Tadlock and Mikala Henderson.

The Sun Devils and Mavericks started that set tied 12-12, and continued going back and forth until ASU was able to pull away at the end, winning 21-19. 

Whitmarsh and McElroy took advantage of the plentiful momentum that favored the Sun Devils as a whole, starting off the second set with a dominant 4-1 lead.

This ended up being the final set played on Saturday, and all of Whitmarsh and McElroy’s teammates gathered around to watch the finish. A game point service ace caused the large crowd to erupt in cheers for the Sun Devils, propelling ASU to a dominant 5-0 win.

The Sun Devils’ positive energy fueled their morning victory over the Mavericks. It was clear – from as early as warmups all the way to the final point – just how much positivity radiates through their team.

Whether it was partners high-fiving in between points, positive reinforcement from coaches in between sets or loud cheers from teammates on the sidelines, the uplifting vibes were flowing for ASU.

This energy, on top of the momentum the Sun Devils maintained throughout matches, allowed them to sweep the Mavericks and not lose a single set in the process.

ASU looks to carry this momentum forward, as it goes on to play No. 13 Grand Canyon later today before playing in the Cactus Classic next weekend.