Sept. 13, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. -- After dropping the first two games, the No. 13 Arizona Wildcat volleyball team made a stand and went on a streak to win the next three games and earn a 3-2 win over the Arizona State University Sun Devils in front of 1,032 fans at Wells Fargo Arena Wednesday night.
The 13-15, 13-15, 15-5, 15-7, 15-9 win improved the nationally ranked Wildcats to 6-1 on the season and 1-0 in Pac-10 play. Arizona has won six consecutive matches since falling to UC Santa Barbara in the 2000 opener. ASU saw its four-game losing streak come to an end and are now 5-3, 0-1.
Junior setter Dana Burkholder, who is coming off being honored as the Pac-10 Player of the Week, led the Wildcats with 84 assists to set a school record. Burkholder also had 24 digs and added four kills to her final tally. Sophomore outside hitter Lisa Rutledge led Arizona with 23 kills and senior Marisa DaLee had 20 kills. The Wildcats outhit the Sun Devils .292 to .186 and out-blocked ASU 15.0 to 12.0. DaLee led the Wildcats with six blocks.
The Sun Devils got off to a fast start winning the first two games in thrilling 15-13 games. Senior outside hitter Amanda Burbridge (Scottsdale) had eight kills in each of the first two games to pace ASU. But the Sun Devils hit a wall in game three with Burbridge failing to record a kill and the Wildcats rolling to a 15-5 win. Arizona came back in game four with an impressive 15-7 win to push to match to the decisive game five.
Junior outside hitter Jami Coughlin (Glendale) led the Sun Devils with 22 kills and 16 digs. Burbridge had 20 kills and 23 digs for her seventh double-double of the year. Sophomore Julia Leddy (Mesa) had 18 kills and recorded seven total blocks (5 assists, 2 solo). Freshman Kim Mehlhorn (Tempe) provided a spark of the bench in games four and five with six total blocks.
The Sun Devils will return to action this weekend with their last non-conference matches of the year at the UNM Clubhouse Inn Invitational in Albuquerque, NM. The tournament hosed by the University of New Mexico features ASU, UNM, Oral Roberts and UC Riverside. ASU will return to Pac-10 play with a Sept. 22 match vs. Washington in Seattle, Wash. ARIZ (6-1) 13 13 15 15 15 ASU (5-3) 15 15 5 7 9 ASU Statistical Leaders: KILLS: Coughlin (22), Burbridge (20), Leddy (18) ASSISTS: Anglin (56), Sidoti (6) BLOCKS: Leddy (7), Mehlhorn (6) SERVICE ACES: Mortensen (2) Attendance: 1,063
--Go Sun Devils--
Copy by Jeff R. Evans
ASU Media Relations