Sept. 17, 2010
TEMPE, Ariz. – A fired-up up Sun Devil squad came out Friday night to open the ASU Sheraton Tournament which saw them push No. 21 Michigan to the edge in a tough 3-1 loss. The Sun Devils fell 25-12, 21-25, 25-27 and 19-25. The Sun Devils fall to 4-6 overall while Michigan improves to 9-1 on the season.
The Sun Devils came out unstoppable in the first set hitting the lights-out of the arena with a .560 average as Sarah Reaves and Ashley Kastl leading the way with five kills apiece with Katstl’s red-hot .625 attack percentage proving to be too hot for Michigan to handle as they blew the Wolverines away 25-12 in the first set.
Set two started a little closer as Michigan retaliated with junior Alex Hunt putting the Wolverines on her back, going 7-for-7 to bolster Michigan’s .364 attack percentage. The Sun Devils weren’t letting Michigan off easy though as they posted five blocks to quiet the attack, but were judged edged 25-21 to pull it even at the break.
The third set gave the fans their moneys worth as it produced 12 tie scores and six lead changes as Sarah Reaves threw down seven kills, but was just edged by Michigan’s Hunt with eight kills and a .467 average. ASU’s 11 unforced errors to the Wolverine’s eight proved to be the difference though as the pack just barely squeaked off with a 27-25 win in extras.
The final set saw the Sun Devils run out of steam as they were only able to post a .143 average for nine kills while Michigan put up 19 for a .325 average as the Wolverines took off with a 25-19 win to close out the hard-earned match.
The ASU Sheraton Tournament continues tomorrow with matches starting at 10 a.m. The Sun Devils play Pacific at noon and Utah and 7 p.m. in Tempe at Wells Fargo Arena.