FORT COLLINS, Colo.—The No. 15 Arizona State volleyball team upset No. 9 Colorado State in three sets, 25-17, 25-21, 25-20, on Friday in its opening match of the CSU/UNC Tournament at Moby Arena.
With the win, the Sun Devils remain undefeated at 4-0 on the year while the Rams sit at 3-1 overall. The victory marks the 15th top-25 win under head coach Jason Watson, and also marks the eighth win over a top-10 team since his hiring in 2008.
Seniors Whitney Follette and Mercedes Binns, and junior Cassidy Pickrell each tallied eight kills, with Binns error-free hitting .727 on 11 swings. Follette had only one error for .500 hitting, and the duo combined for nine of ASU’s 18 blocks. Follette now moves to No. 6 in the career top-10 for block assists with a total of 278.
The setter duo of senior Bianca Arellano and freshman Kylie Pickrell each picked up their first double-double of the season, Arellano notching 15 assists and 12 digs while Pickrell added 16 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore libero Halle Harker also added 10 digs.
The Sun Devils held the Rams to just .098 hitting, with Adrianna Culbert picking up 11 kills to lead CSU, while Alex Reid added nine.
Up next, ASU takes on Western Michigan on Saturday at 10 a.m. PT/11 a.m. MT at Moby Arena, before making a quick trip to Greeley, Colo., to take on Northern Colorado at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT. The late match on Saturday will be live streamed via UNCBears.com.
Match Notes
Kills: Follette (8), C. Pickrell (8), Binns (8)
Top Attack Pct: Binns (.727; 8K, 0E, 11TA), Follette (.500; 8K, 1E, 14 TA)
Assists: K. Pickrell (16), Arellano (15)
Digs: Arellano (12), K. Pickrell (10), Harker (10)
Double-Doubles: Arellano (15 assists, 12 digs), K. Pickrell (16 assists, 10 digs)
Top-25 Wins Under Watson (15)
Oct. 25, 2008 at No. 24 Oregon State*—W 3-0
Sept. 25, 2009 No. 14 UCLA*—W 3-0
Oct. 15, 2010 No. 5 USC*—W 3-1
Oct. 16, 2010 No. 10 UCLA*—W 3-1
Nov. 24, 2010 at No. 2 California*—W 3-2
Nov. 2, 2012 No. 6 USC*—W 3-0
Nov. 21, 2012 at No. 5 Washington*—W 3-1
Aug. 31, 2013 No. 24 Wichita State — W 3-0
Sept. 13, 2013 No. 2 Texas—W 3-0
Nov. 1, 2013 No. 23 Oregon*—W 3-1
Aug. 30, 2014 No. 17 Hawaii—W 3-0
Sept. 26, 2014 No. 9 USC*—W 3-1
Oct. 24, 2014 No. 11 Oregon*—W 3-2
Nov. 26 2014 No. 17 UCLA*—W 3-2
Sept. 4, 2015 No. 9 Colorado State—W 3-0
Career Records of Note:
Kills
1. Christine Garner, 1992-95—1871
2. Sarah Reaves, 2007-10—1796
3. Macey Gardner (2012-present)—1712
Block Assists
1. Tina Berg, 1987-90—378
2. Sonja Markanovich, 2008-11—329
3. Sue Nord, 1986-89—305
4. Erica Wilson, 2009-12—297
5. Tammy Webb, 1983-86—296
6. Whitney Follette (2012-present)—278
7. Debbie Penney, 1988-91—276
8. Nancy Christian, 1990-93—272
9. Laura Hibsman, 1996-99—259
10. Kirstin Mattson, 1993-97—258