Oct. 5, 2012
LOS ANGELES - Arizona State volleyball fell in a sweep, 3-0, to sixth-ranked UCLA with set scores of 22-25, 13-25, 15-25 on Friday night. The Sun Devils remain in LA as they will face USC at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Arizona State falls to 13-5 overall and 2-3 in the Pac-12. The Bruins are 11-3 on the year and 3-2 in conference. Wilson posted a team best 12 kills, Gardner added eight and Pinson tallied six of her own. Palmer posted 22 assists in the three-set outing.
Up Next: Sunday at No. 5 USC
TV: Pac-12 Network National
GameTracker, here
Twitter: @SunDevilVB
Opening with hard hits from Macey Gardner and Whitney Follette, the Sun Devils led the opening set, 4-1. The Bruins rallied shortly after by tying it 4-4, to take their first lead at 8-5 on a four-point run. ASU closed the gap to one point, 9-10 and 10-11, after Mercedes Binns teamed up with Erica Wilson then Follette for a pair of timely block assists.
After battling, a three-point spurt by ASU tied it at 14-14. Following a media timeout at 14-15, six ties ensued before the Sun Devils called their first timeout of the match going down 20-21. The Bruins held on to its small cushion to go up 1-0 on sets after claiming the set, 22-25.
Sun Devils fall to UCLA but will face USC on Sunday to try and head home 1-1 on the weekend thesundevils.com/sports/w-volle...
-- Sun Devil Volleyball (@SunDevilVB) October 6, 2012
Working from behind in the second set, the Sun Devils called both of their timeouts by the 2-12 mark. Using a 5-2 spree, Arizona State was able to cut the deficit to 7-14 with attacks from Gardner, Nora Tuioti-Mariner and Alexis Pinson. UCLA made quick work of the remaining portion of the frame, going up 2-0 with a set score of 13-25. Despite the Devils hitting 11 kills to UCLA's 12, a .103 attack percentage proved costly.
The third stanza look reminiscent of the first, with several ties in the opening points. After the score teeter-tottered for a bit, UCLA forced the Sun Devils into a timeout at 5-9. Pinson was able to record kills at the 9-14 mark, but ASU was backed into its second timeout two points later, 9-16.
Behind the serve of Pinson, ASU was able to garner five-straight points to cut UCLA's lead to four, 14-18. Pinson tallied two aces while Wilson picked up two kills during the streak. The rally fell short as the Bruins took the set 15-25 and the match, 3-0.
About the USC Series
The Trojans lead this series 11-1-58 dating back to 1979. ASU last beat USC on Oct. 15, 2010 at home, 3-1. The Sun Devils dropped the two meetings in 2011 with scores of 3-1.
Up Next:
The Sun Devils head to No. 5 USC for a 4 p.m. matchup on Sunday. The contest will be aired on the Pac-12 National Network.