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Five-Set Thriller Results in Upset Over No. 16 Oregon

by thesundevils.com
Apr 1, 2021

TEMPE, Ariz. - Led by a double-double from freshman Marta Levinska, Sun Devil Volleyball upset No. 16 Oregon at home on Thursday night in five sets (15-25, 25-21, 21-25, 26-24, 15-10).

Notable Stats

  • Arizona State (6-13) has beaten Oregon (13-4) at least once in each of the last three seasons, currently on a three-match win streak against the Ducks.
  • Never count out the Sun Devils: they battled from behind in the second and fourth sets to come back and win to force the fifth set. This is the eighth match that has gone to five sets this season and the third win.
  • The block was strong for both teams, Oregon getting 14 and ASU getting 12. This is the seventh match reaching double figures in blocks. 
  • Freshman Marta Levinska had a match-high 20 kills, her third match of her career reaching that mark. She notched 11 digs as well to earn a double-double, her fourth.
  • Sophomore Shannon Shields collected a double-double as well with 26 assists and 14 digs. Her dig total is a career high and this is her first double-double at ASU, third in her career.
  • At libero, sophomore Annika Larson earned her first double-double of her career with a match-high 20 digs with a career-high 10 assists. She reached 20 digs for the fourth time in her career.
  • The middles brought it in the win. Senior Megan Beedie hit a career-best .800 with eight kills. She also had three aces. Freshman Claudia Stahlke led the team with a career-high eight blocks, including two solo blocks. 
  • This was the seventh time ASU has held its opponents to a sub-.200 clip.

Quotes
Arizona State Head Coach Coach Sanja Tomasevic
"What a fun way to come back and get the win. That first set was difficult to bounce back from. Something about our team is that we are getting our money's worth this spring by playing these matches and getting this experience. The fact that we were able to come back from that beat down in the first set is something that I am really proud of. I can't stress enough how proud I am of them. I keep saying that this team will be a force to be reckoned with in the future and I think people are starting to realize that. It's looking a lot better and I'm really proud of how they fought in the fifth set."

On the mentality going into the game
"As of right now we are not postseason eligible. With that it's easy for them to get mentally checked out. I had to revisit with them and talk about all the reasons why we should do it. The first reason was that we have our first game on August 27th. The other was that Oregon is on our schedule for the first week in the fall. If we beat them during any of the games this weekend we'd show up a little differently in the fall against them." 

On freshman Marta Levinska
"I can't stress this enough, I really think that Marta is the best freshman in the conference. She just hasn't had a chance to show that off due to our passing and our serve receive. I really think she's the best freshman that the conference has this year."

Sophomore Setter Shannon Shields
On her improved play
"These last couple of weeks I've been trying to focus on staying loud and talking throughout the play. I also try to get my teammates hyped when they need it. I feel like I need to continue to work on my consistency to really get that down. I like to bring a lot of energy to the court and I feel that it really helps our team out." 

Freshman Outside Hitter Marta Levinska
On the mentality going into Saturday's Senior Night Matchup
"We definitely will be going into the match with our full strength and we really want to get this one for Megan. It was really nice that we got the win tonight, and we're going to try to do that again."


Set One: Oregon 25, Arizona State 15
Oregon began the match strong, but Beedie tied the score at 4-4 with her first kill. The Ducks went on a 7-1 run to push their lead to 11-5, a lead they would not relinquish. Oregon put together five in a row to make it 18-7. Isanovic and Levinska had late kills, but Oregon took the first set at 25-15.

Set Two: Arizona State 25, Oregon 21
The Ducks carried the momentum from the first set, going up 11-3 early. However, the Sun Devils started to put together runs to cut into the lead. A 4-1 run for ASU made it 12-7. With two errors and a kill from Isanovic, the Sun Devils scored three straight to make it a 13-10 deficit. Three kills in a row by the Sun Devils brought them only one point behind the Ducks at 17-16. The momentum carried and squared the two teams at 20 and an error then put Arizona State in the lead at 21-20 for the first time in the match. The Sun Devils ended the set on a 4-0 run that saw kills from Shields and Levinska.


Set Three: Oregon 25, Arizona State 21
Oregon took the early lead at 2-0, but a solo block by Stahlke pushed Arizona State ahead at 3-2. Strong serving and back-to-back aces by Megan Beedie sparked the Sun Devils on a 5-0 run to go up 11-9. Oregon responded with a 5-1 run to pass the Sun Devils at 16-15, but a kill by Roberta Rabelo tied the set once again. It was back and forth until the Ducks scored four in a row to get to set point at 24-20. An ASU service error finalized the set, giving Oregon the win for the set.

Set Four: Arizona State 26, Oregon 24
The Ducks got it going for the fourth set, going up 4-1. A 5-0 run for Arizona State tied the set, a run that saw three blocks from the Sun Devils. After a 5-1 run for the Ducks, the Sun Devils put together three in a row to get within one at 17-16. Oregon got back on top but Arizona State made a major comeback late in the set. Down 23-19, ASU ended the set with a 7-1 run to win. 


Set Five: Arizona State 15, Oregon 10
The teams were back and forth to start the fifth set. ASU put together three in a row with two kills from Levinska to take the 8-5 lead. Levinska sparked another late run, scoring three-straight to make it 11-7. A service error brought the Sun Devils to match point and Beedie finished out the final set with a kill, giving Arizona State the upset.


Up Next
These two teams will face off again on Saturday at noon MST on the ASU Live Stream. ASU's lone senior Megan Beedie will be honored before the match.

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