Sept. 9, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Arizona State volleyball took down Georgia Southern on Friday afternoon to improve to 4-3 on the year. The Sun Devils topped the Eagles 25-22, 19-25, 25-16, 25-22 in the opening round of the UNC Carolina Classic.
Ashley Kastl led the offensive charge with 20 kills to her name for a total of 22.5 points - Nora Tuioti-Mariner put up 17 kills of her own and a team-best .552 attack percentage.
"We stayed composed and played well at times," head coach Jason Watson said. "Nora had a remarkable match and continues to improve."
Tuioti-Mariner's outing went down as her second double-double of the year as she picked up 11 digs along the way. Also in the double trouble mix is Sarah McGaffin who recorded her fourth double-double, tallying 47 assists and 12 digs against GSU.
The match featured a strong ASU squad hitting above .200 in three sets with several season-best marks posted, including: Tuioti-Mariner's .552 attack percentage, Kastl's 20 kills, McGaffin's 47 assists and 60 total kills by the team.
In the first and second sets ASU got off to rocky starts. It was not until the 18-18 mark in the first frame that the Sun Devils were in reach for a victory; using a late rally that was capped at 25-22 by two Kastl kills.
Set two ASU led by a small margin before a seven-point GSU run put the Sun Devils down 16-12. The rest of the stanza followed suit as the maroon and gold fell 25-19.
A-State closed out the match convincingly in the third and fourth frames, hitting at a .353 clip in the third set tasting victory at the biggest margin of the day, 25-16. Tuioti-Mariner, Kastl and Erica Wilson each recorded four kills in the third.
With a 25-22 win in the fourth ASU took the match 3-1 to improve to 4-3 overall and 2-1 on neutral ground.
"I am excited to see what we are able to do tomorrow against two wonderfully talented volleyball programs," said Watson.
On Saturday, ASU faces No. 19 San Diego at 7 a.m., followed by a 4:30 showdown against UNC (PT).