Devils in Detail
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ASU Volleyball: Devils fall to Utah, still winless in Pac-12

By Carson Field

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs during the third quarter of the college football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Sun Devil Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 10: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs during the third quarter of the college football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Sun Devil Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) /
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After falling to Colorado on Friday night, the ASU volleyball team once again lost Sunday against the 13th-ranked Utah Utes in four sets.

The ASU volleyball team lost its eighth match in a row today against Utah, who is ranked 13th in the AVCA Coaches Poll. After the loss, the Sun Devils are now 10-10 overall and 0-8 in conference play.

The first set went back and forth and had many lead changes throughout the set.

Utah held a 23-22 lead near the end of the set, but the Sun Devils prevailed and won set one 26-24. The team hit for a percentage of .242 in the set, which was a big improvement from Friday’s match against Colorado, in which the team hit .168 combined in the three sets.

The Utes held a lead for most of the second set, but ASU was able to claw its way back into the set, tying the match at 17-17.

However, Utah finished set two on an 8-0 run, taking the set 25-17.

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The Utes hit for an efficient .464 percentage in the second set, opposed to ASU, which hit for a .152 percentage with seven errors.

The Sun Devils got off to an early 10-6 lead in the third set, but the Utes got on a 7-1 run to go up 13-11. There were several lead changes after this, as the teams went point for point.

Utah ultimately won the third set 31-29 off an attack error by Griere Hughes.

In the fourth set, ASU took a lead late in the set 20-16. Utah; however, creeped its way back into the match and ended up taking the set 28-26 on a service ace scored on Hughes.

The Sun Devils allowed eight service aces, compared to the one service ace allowed by the Utes.

Hughes led the team in kills with 18, and Oluoma Okaro followed her with 14. Coach Sanja Tomasevic said Okaro needed to have a bigger impact for the team to win.

“They stepped up, but Oly wasn’t here,” Tomasevic said. “Our middle stepped up and played well, Griere played well, but Oly and Halle didn’t have the best match.”

The ASU defense did a good job of neutralizing Adora Anae, who is one of the nation’s top players

“I think she had a bad day, she is a human,” Tomasevic said. “We did a good job of frustrating her defensively.”

Utah played brutal defense, recording 18 blocks throughout the match, compared to the Sun Devils’ nine blocks.

“Utah is a really strong team blocking-wise,” sophomore Nicole Peterson said. “That’s something we struggle with and our hitters struggle with as well.”

The team travels to Oregon next weekend to face Oregon State and Oregon on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Next: ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils swept by Buffs; now 0-7 in Pac-12

Oregon State is 3-5 in conference play, and the Beavers are riding a two-game winning streak. Friday’s matchup will start at 6 p.m. PST and can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks.