Nov. 30, 2002
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (www.TheSunDevils.com) -- Four players each had 11 kills as the Arizona State Sun Devil volleyball team completed the 2002 regular season with a three-game sweep of the Weber State Wildcats Saturday afternoon to capture the UNLV/Hard Rock Thanksgiving Classic. Game scores were 30-25, 30-25, 30-18 in favor of the Sun Devils.
ASU completed the regular season winning four of its last six matches to finish the year with a 14-11 record. Weber State dropped to 20-13 overall and 0-8 all-time vs. the Sun Devils with the loss. The Sun Devils will now wait until the NCAA announces the 64-team field Sunday night at 7 p.m. on ESPNEWS. ASU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three years.
Senior middle blocker Julia Leddy, junior outside hitter Kim Mehlhorn and junior middle blocker Jodi Smith each had 11 kills to pace the Sun Devil offense. Leddy hit .579 (11-0-19) and added four block assists. Mehlhorn nearly notched her second double-double in as many nights with nine digs and hit a scorching .409. Junior outside hitter Juliana Escobar had 10 kills while recovering from a recent knee injury. Junior libero Courtney Blocher anchored the ASU defense with a team-high 15 digs.
Weber State was led by the 14 kills from Stephanie Kropushek and the 10 kills each from Stephanie Metcalf and Holly Montano. ASU out-hit the Wildcats .328-.182 and controlled the defense with 54 kills to WSU's 46.
Kim Mehlhorn and Natalie Harris were named to the all-tournament team, while Leddy was named the tournament MVP. Leddy was also named the tournament MVP at the Red Raider Classic earlier this year and the LMU Volleyball Classic last year. The all-tournament honor is the second this year for Mehlhorn (Red Raider Classic) and the first honor for Harris. --Sun Devil Volleyball--