ASU Beach Volleyball: Sun Devils, Wildcats vie for Territorial Cup point

The ASU beach volleyball team returns to Tempe for a Territorial Cup battle with No. 14 Arizona in their final home match of the regular season.

Nothing can cure a bad memory like a date with your rival.

Following a forgettable 0-4 swing in Hawaii, the Sun Devils (10-17) will look to right their recent wrongs and secure a half-point in their second Territorial Cup match of the season against Arizona on Wednesday.

The Wildcats (16-10) picked up the first half-point of the series with a 4-1 win over ASU at the Wildcat Invitational in Tucson April 6. The victory marked the fourth time that Arizona had beaten the Sun Devils in their last five meetings on the beach.

Arizona State’s Katelyn Carballo and Ellyson Lundberg collected the Sun Devils’ sole victory of the day by defeating Kacey Nady and Sara Watanbe in straight sets during the No. 3 match.

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Kate Baldwin and Samantha Plaster showcased a valiant effort after extending their match with Makenna Martin and Caroline Cordes to three sets. The Sun Devil pair came up just short, however, as Martin and Cordes would pull away with a 19-17 victory in the final frame.

Arizona’s No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 lineups would each run away in their individual matches, defeating Arizona State by no fewer than five points in consecutive set sweeps.

The Wildcats followed up their victory over the Sun Devils with consecutive match wins over Colorado Mesa and No. 13 California. Their 4-0 record at the Wildcat Invitational extended a six-match win streak and a span of seven wins in eight matches.

Last weekend, U of A suffered their first match losses since March 30 after falling to No. 2 Pepperdine and No. 4 Cal Poly at the Pepperdine Tri-Match.

In the same stretch, the Sun Devils struggled, winning only one of six matches and five match points outside of their 5-0 sweep of Vanguard.

In Wednesday’s meeting, both teams will be looking for a form of consistency that can carry over to the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships at the end of the month.

The Sun Devils will be looking to persevere when adversity hits in late matches. The team has struggled closing three-set matches against ranked opponents, a trend that will need to change if they plan to do damage at the conference tournament.

For Arizona, Wednesday’s match will provide them the challenge of defeating opposition on the away from Tucson. The Wildcats hold a 9-2 home record on the year, but have gone just 7-8 when playing on the road or at neutral sites.

With so much on the line for both teams, the intensity and drama of the rivalry should be at an all-time high.

Next: ASU Beach Volleyball: Sun Devils swept in Hawaii Tournament

The first serve between the Sun Devils and the Wildcats will be at 6 p.m. PT at the PERA Club in Tempe.