ASU Volleyball: Isanovic’s 28 kills not enough to hold off No. 21 Washington State

The fifth set has been the downfall of Arizona State volleyball’s (13-12, 6-8 Pac-12) season. Additionally, Sunday’s 3-2 (21-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-17, 15-6) defeat to No. 21 Washington State (16-8, 10-4) might be the most disappointing loss.

The Sun Devils finally found a grove this season before they were swept at Washington earlier this weekend. However, it looked like they were primed to bounce back. Arizona State won the first two sets behind an incredible start from Iman Isanovic, who closed out each set with a kill. The junior outside hitter eventually set her career-high at 28 kills paired with a .426 hitting percentage, but things quickly changed for the Sun Devils.

Washington State raced out the gate in the third set. While, the Sun Devils came back to tie the score at one point, the Cougars kept the game alive. They carried that momentum the rest of the day. Washington used a 13-1 run in the fourth to push it to a do-or-die set.

The wind clearly had left the Arizona State sails. The Sun Devils hit under .100 in the fifth set before Washington State completed the reverse sweep.

The Sun Devils return home to host Colorado and Utah, the game they’ll celebrate Senior Day in hopes of a better outcome than this weekend.