Arizona State junior libero Piper Rama whacked the serve over the net with the Sun Devils on match point against Kansas. 

Some initial receiving troubles from the Jayhawks led to a poke attack by star freshman pin hitter Taylor Stanley.

However, an ASU block stopped the ball in its tracks and sent it to the floor on the Kansas side, allowing the Sun Devils to complete their first reverse sweep victory in four seasons.

No. 8 Arizona State (15-3, 6-1 Big 12) hit the road and outlasted No. 17 Kansas (12-5, 5-2 Big 12) through five sets in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., winning 3-2 on Sunday, Oct. 18. Star offensive players and an impressive, but shaky defensive night came together for the Sun Devils, completing their first reverse sweep win since Sept. 2, 2022, against Dayton.

After dropping the first two sets, ASU had its back against the wall, looking to avoid falling behind the Jayhawks.

Losing one more set not only lost the match for ASU, but also dropped it behind Kansas in the Big 12 standings, as both squads sat at 5-1 in conference play heading into Sunday. 

Yet, the Sun Devils battled back and survived, taking the last three sets courtesy of some big blocking plays and pure dominance from senior opposite hitter Noemie Glover.

Here’s three takeaways from the statement match:

Glover’s Supremacy

Glover is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year. Sunday, she advanced her case to go back-to-back.

The senior opposite finished the match with a new season-high 25 kills, staying efficient with a .265 clip. Defensively, Glover notched six digs and four total blocks.

ASU relied on Glover throughout the whole game. By the end of all five sets, Glover racked up 68 total attempts on offense, her new career high.

While she was dominant throughout the night against Kansas, her ability shined in the clutch.

In the fourth set, the Sun Devils led 22-20, sitting three points away from extending the match to a decisive fifth set.

That’s when Glover ascended.

Glover rattled off the three straight points that the Sun Devils needed with a kill, a block, and another kill to keep ASU alive.

Glover achieved 20-plus kills for the third match this year Sunday, making it back-to-back games with 20 or more kills for Glover. 

Her 25 kills on Sunday eclipsed her previous season-high of 23, set just one game ago on Thursday, Oct. 15, against Arizona.

Moving forward, the Sun Devils need to take advantage of Glover’s current momentum and continue to allow her to lead the charge in ASU’s victories.

Block Party

Outside of Glover, defense powered the Sun Devils to a ranked win, especially at the net.

ASU ended its night with 14.5 total blocks, totaling six more rejections than the Jayhawks. 

While Glover ran the show offensively, the entire Sun Devils front line helped out with the block party. 

Senior middle blocker Ella Lomigora led the match with eight blocks, while Glover, sophomore outside hitter Maeva Schalk and freshman setter Elle Mottola all finished with four and junior outside hitter Una Vajagic pitched in three.

The blocks contributed to scoring ASU points, but most notably put a lid on Stanley, the favorite for Big 12 Freshman of the Year who still put up 21 kills Sunday.

ASU’s blocking kept it in the match, yet the defense as a whole wasn’t the sharpest, specifically in service reception.

The Jayhawks had 11 total aces on the night, eight of which came in the first set. The Sun Devils even allowed Kansas junior middle blocker Reese Ptacek to tally five aces in six points, four of which came consecutively in the first set.

Defensively, if ASU can keep up its blocking and build upon the reception mistakes, future sets can unfold much smoother.

Sun Devil Statement

As ASU and Kansas headed to the third set, the NCAA D1 Women’s Volleyball Committee revealed its top 16 teams if the season had ended at that moment.

However, despite the Sun Devils being top-10 and Jayhawks being top-20 in the current AVCA rankings, neither team was featured.

The committee claims that there were multiple schools that were “under strong consideration” and just barely didn’t make the cut. Both ASU and Kansas were a part of the conversation and were heavily considered as borderline teams.

Actively playing in a game, there is a very strong likelihood that the Sun Devils were unaware that they didn’t make the cut. 

However, they played like they took that information personally, as the reverse sweep on the road against a ranked team is a major statement win for ASU. 

The Sun Devils’ win builds upon their strong resume and adds onto an impressive October for head coach JJ Van Niel’s squad. ASU is yet to lose in the month of October, with Sunday’s win serving as the Sun Devils’ third win over a ranked opponent this month.

Bouncing in and out of the top 10 rankings, ASU’s massive win on Sunday proves to be a defining moment in what is an already impressive season.

Still on the quest to three-peat as conference champions, the Sun Devils improved their odds with the win, moving into second in the Big 12 standings.

ASU seeks to ride the momentum into their next match on the road at Utah on Thursday, Oct. 22.