Dec. 2, 2000
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Outside hitter Nicole Branagh tallied 31 kills and 10 digs to lead the No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers to a 3-1 win over the Arizona State University Sun Devils in second round action of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament held at the Sports Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus.
The win improved the Gophers' overall record to 30-3 on the year, marking the first time in school history Minnesota has reached the 30-win plateau in a season. ASU finished the year 18-12, winning the most matches in a season since 1995.
The Sun Devils, who made their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in school history, advanced to the second round by way of beating Duke 3-1 on Friday night. Minnesota handed Robert Morris a quick, 53-minute 3-0 loss in the other first-round match held Friday in Minneapolis. With the 15-12, 10-15, 15-7, 15-6 victory, Minnesota moves on to the Sweet 16, and will play the University of California-Santa Barbara in Honolulu, Hawai'i next Thursday. ASU is now 6-13 all-time in NCAA Tournament action, and evened up the head-to-head series with Minnesota at 1-1.
While the Sun Devils lost the match, it was not without a fight. Senior outside hitter Amanda Burbridge (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished her illustrious ASU career with a bang, tallying 19 kills and a career high seven service aces. With 1,597 career kills, Burbridge ended her career ranked third in the ASU record books and her 599 kills this season broke a school record by 44. The senior did not have a match with less than double-digit kills this season and her seven service aces vs. Minnesota rank third in single-match school history. Burbridge also contributed five blocks and six digs.
"I thought it was an incredibly competitive match, there were long rallies, tough serving and great play all around," said ASU head coach Patti Snyder-Park. "We hurt ourselves with our passing in game four. It is tough being down 2-1 and come out and do that. I am really proud of our girls and what they did this season. Minnesota is just a great team and I wish them all the luck in the world as they move on."
With eight players returning, the Sun Devils will be armed and loaded when the 2001 season rolls around. Junior outside hitter Jami Coughlin (Glendale, Ariz.) returns with 1,011 career kills under her belt and is the active leader my a wide margin in the Pac-10 in career digs. She is on pace to break the school record for career digs, needing 460 digs next year.
Freshman setter Cheryl Anglin (Queen Creek, Ariz.) capped a phenomenal rookie campaign on the court, setting an ASU single-season record with 1,452 assists. She blasted the freshmen record of 1,062 and with 38 vs. Minnesota, became the most prolific setter in a single-season in 28 years of ASU Volleyball history. Three of her former high school teammates at Chandler Valley Christian, Courtney Blocher, Kim Mehlhorn and Natalie Harris, also return next year.
"I was so excited when I found out that I set the record and it is really a great accomplishment," said Anglin after the match. "I know that I got that because of the five other players on the court and our big hitter Amanda (Burbridge). We had awesome passing this year and played great defense. I am already excited for next year because of what we have returning."
As a team the Sun Devils served up 12 aces, setting a season high that was previously nine set vs. IUPUI on Sept. 9. The Sun Devils did themselves in by hitting .137 for the match, their third lowest percentage of the year.
The Sun Devils came out hot in game one, giving the No. 9 Gophers a run for their money before falling 15-12. ASU served exceptionally well, racking up four service aces. The Sun Devils came into the match averaging only 1.34 service aces per game. Coughlin tallied two service aces, while Courtney Blocher and Cheryl Anglin each contributed one. In a game marked by several long rallies, Minnesota came out on top winning several key points when trailing by as much as three. The Gophers out-hit ASU .313 to .178, but the Sun Devils strong defense kept them close throughout the game. Burbridge led ASU with five kills in the opening frame, while all-time Big Ten kill leader Branagh racked up 10. The opening game loss was only the seventh of the year for the Sun Devils.
Arizona State continued to play well on both sides of the net in game two, mounting a lead by as much as six early in the game and rolled on to a 15-10 win to knot the match at 1-1. Burbridge gave the Sun Devils a huge boost with four consecutive service aces to expand the ASU lead from 3-1 to 7-1. She ended the game with five service aces, one off a career high for an entire match. Burbridge put down eight kills in the second frame, matching Branagh who also had eight.
The Golden Gophers turned it up a notch in game three, scoring the first six points, and went on to put the Devils away 15-7. Burbridge added two more service aces to set a career high with seven, but ASU hit only .063 for the game to their demise. Minnesota on the other hand, rode the hot hitting of Branagh who added seven more kills and the Gophers hit .464 for the game.
Minnesota put the match away in the fourth game, taking a 15-6 win to advance to the Sweet 16 in Hawai'i. Branagh ended the match with 31 kills, tying a school record for kills in a NCAA match. Charnette Fair added 11 kills and 10 blocks, and setter Lindsey Berg had a match high 55 assists.
Arizona State 12 10 7 6
Minnesota 15 15 15 15
ASU Statistical Leaders:
KILLS: Amanda Burbridge (19), Jami Coughlin (10)
ASSISTS: Cheryl Anglin (39)
TOTAL BLOCKS: Amanda Burbridge (5)
SERVICE ACES: Amanda Burbridge (7) *3rd in ASU record book*
Attendance: 2,461