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Two Big Wins For Sand Devils Keeps Them in Pac-12s

by thesundevils.com
Apr 25, 2024

TEMPE – No. 6 seed Sun Devil Beach Volleyball closed day two of the Pac-12 Championships with an upset over No. 4 seed Cal. The Sand Devils kicked off the day with a decisive 3-0 win over No. 7 seed Arizona. Arizona State will move on for a rematch against No. 3 Stanford on Friday at 10:45 a.m. MST.

The deciding match against Cal (21-13) came down to the No. 4 duo Kate Fitzgerald and Ava Kirunchyk. The Sand Devils (21-8) gained early momentum after winning set one, 26-24. While the pair dropped set two, they were able to come back in a dramatic third set and win the dual for ASU, 20-18. This marks the fifth time in program history that the Sand Devils have taken down the Bears. 

Today's wins brings the season's ranked wins to 11, extending the current season record. The victory against Cal marks the 21st win of the season, tying the record for most wins in a single season. 

The No. 3 pair of senior Taryn Ames and graduate Lexi Sweeney moved up on the career individual wins list at ASU, now tied for fourth with 60. They won both of their matches today. The other pair to win both matches today was the top pair of sophomore Daniella Kensinger and freshman Ava Williamson.

Arizona State has won two dual at the Pac-12 Championships for just the third time (also 2019 and 2022). 

Game One: ASU 3, Arizona 0
It was a clean sweep for the Sun Devils in the first dual to stay in the tournament. All three courts that won did so in straight sets. It started with the threes and fives getting it done before the top pair clinched the win. ASU also won the first sets on courts two and four before the dual was decided.

Results (Order of Finish: 5, 3, 1*)

  1. Daniella Kensinger/Ava Williamson (ASU) def. McElroy/Russell (ARIZ) 21-17, 21-14
  2. Arden Besecker/Anya Pemberton (ASU) vs. Kost/Shannon (ARIZ) 21-16 DNF
  3. Taryn Ames/Lexi Sweeney (ASU) def. Cook/Fitzsimmons (ARIZ) 21-14, 21-18
  4. Kate Fitzgerald/Ava Kirunchyk (ASU) vs. Horwath/Phillips (ARIZ) 21-18, 8-6 DNF
  5. Ava Haughy/Adriana Nieves Papaleo (ASU) def. Erro/Zilliken (ARIZ) 21-12, 21-18

 

Game Two: ASU 3, Cal 2
No. 4 duo Fitzgerald and Kirunchyk won the dual for ASU in a dramatic three-set finish to upset No. 4 Cal. The pair took the final set all the way to 20-18 to eliminate the Bears and advance to the final day of the Pac-12 Championships. The No. 1 pair of Kensinger and Williamson played an incredible match. All three sets were decided by two points, with the last two going to extras. In the third set, Cal had match point at 14-11, but ASU came storming back to win 16-14. No. 3 pair Ames and Sweeney earned the first point for the Sand Devils in three sets, closing out their match in a dominant 15-9 third set decision. 

Results (Order of Finish: 3, 5, 1, 2, 4*)

  1. Daniella Kensinger/Ava Williamson (ASU) def. Caffo/Young-Gomez (CAL) 21-19, 20-22, 16-14
  2. Donley/Peters (CAL) def. Arden Besecker/Anya Pemberton (ASU) 21-12, 21-13
  3. Taryn Ames/Lexi Sweeney (ASU) def. Fisher/Pally (CAL) 21-17, 14-21, 15-9
  4. Kate Fitzgerald/Ava Kirunchyk (ASU) def. Boos/Dreibholz (CAL) 26-24, 16-21, 20-18
  5. Colligan/Sherman (CAL) def Ava Haughy/Adriana Nieves Papaleo (ASU) 21-18, 25-27, 15-11

 

Up Next
Arizona State is looking to avenge their loss earlier in the tournament when they face No. 3 Stanford on Friday (tomorrow) at 10:45 a.m. MST. It will be live on the Pac-12 Network, as all tournament duals are. The full tournament website is here.

Quotes: 
Head Coach Kristen Rohr:
On how this win feels:
"I just had a really good feeling about us coming into this tournament and how we bounced back from Stanford and took care of Arizona. I felt like we came in and made a statement against Arizona, I think if that would have played out, I think that's a 5-0 victory and I was really happy with how we were finally playing free again. I told Paul at the beginning of this tournament, there's not an unbeatable team in this country. Everyone's been beaten, everyone's had a bad loss at some point."

Senior Kate Fitzgerald:
On how she feels after the game:
"I feel like I've been waiting all for years for that moment just to happen. I had a feeling that it would come down to it today. I was like, we're ready, we got this. We've been training so hard and AK (Ava Kirunchyk) and I both just wanted to win that. I never doubted it. I never had a question. I knew it would be hard. I knew they would fight back. I've been waiting for that pressure and that moment and I'm so happy and proud of my team. It takes all of us, it wasn't just our court. It takes two other teams to win before us. So I'm proud of everyone."

On how she feels about moving onto tomorrow:
" We upset them (Stanford) earlier. I think if we (her and Kirunchyk) had an opportunity, we very well could have beat them the other day. Our game came down to a third set, two points. And the other courts were leading. It's our sand, it's our court. It's day three. We've conditioned for this, we trained for this. We're going to take this home."

Ava Kirunchyk:
On how she feels after clinching the dual:
"I'm just so excited and happy for our team. I feel like that's what we've been striving for and it was such a team effort. I feel so lucky to get to play in the second round and have that opportunity to clinch. I feel like we had nothing to lose and we really channeled that energy. Once we won that first set, I feel like we just knew we had nothing to lose in the second set. Let's just come into the third set really strong and that's what we did, and it worked in our favor."

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