TEMPE, Ariz. -- Every time the Arizona State volleyball team takes the court lately, it breezes past another milestone.
By defeating Oregon State on Sunday at Wells Fargo Arena, the Sun Devils achieved the highest ranking in the program's history by climbing to No. 6 in the AVCA poll.
By defeating the Beavers, ASU also improved to 2-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time since 1999, and when the Sun Devils host No. 8 Stanford on Friday, it will mark the first time they have faced the Cardinal with a higher ranking than their conference foe since 1986.
"We are aware of all of that but we don't let it affect our practices at all," senior middle blocker Mercedes Binns said. "We still have a lot of work to do and we still have goals. This isn't where we want to stop. We want to keep going forward and hopefully be No. 1."
ASU's 13-0 start is the second best start in program history, bested only by the 1973 team that played in an era when there was far less competition, one year after Title IX became law.
The fast start isn't surprising to the sport's insiders. The Devils were picked to finish second in the conference in the preseason media poll in what is likely the best conference in the nation. Ten Pac-12 teams went to the 64-team NCAA Tournament last year and all 10 advanced past the first round.
Expectations aside, perfection is hard to achieve and it's all the more notable since ASU has already defeated then-No. 9 Colorado State on the road, then No. 6 Illinois in the Sun Devil Invitational, and then No. 14 Arizona.
"With all the expectations and all the new players coming in, I think it's been a very efficient start for us," senior setter Bianca Arellano said. "As seniors, we like to think this is going to be our breakout year and we're going to finish on a high note."
Coach Jason Watson noted several factors in the team's improved play. The Sun Devils are serving better, they are defending better and they are a blocking nightmare for opponents. ASU is currently fifth in the nation in blocks per set at 3.09.
The Devils are also fifth in the nation in kills per set at 14.67, led by senior Macey Gardner, who has 160 kills this season and is just 35 kills short of breaking Christine Garner's career, school record of 1,871.
The improvements are a byproduct of using a 6-2 offensive formation with two setters (Arellano and freshman Kylie Pickrell) rotating through the back row, allowing ASU to have three hitters/blocker in the front row all the time.
Senior middle blockers Whitney Follette (16th in the nation at 1.44 blocks per set) and Binns form a formidable front line with right-side hitter Bree Bailey and sub Kizzy Ricedorff, putting less pressure on Gardner to carry the offense.
"We're more balanced and evenly distributed," Watson said. "It has made Macey better, it has made our middles better and it's tougher on our opponents because they can't just go loading up on Macey."
Watson has told the Devils since the beginning of the season that they could achieve great things this season. While he has been quick to note their recent successes, he has also been careful to remind them they aren't even close to achieving their goals.
"I think we feel good about where we're at and what we're doing," he said. "We're playing well but I hope that we don't get complacent. I hope we don't take it for granted that it's easy.
"We're far from a finished product, that's for sure."
Stanford has been a nemesis for the Sun Devils. ASU hasn't defeated the perennial power since Sept. 30, 2000, a string of 28 losses that make Friday's match another potential milestone in a season already full of them.
"They're studs," Arellano said in deference to the Cardinal. "They've always been at the top so they're used to it. They’ve always been on a pedestal. We're looking to change that."
Arellano said the Sun Devils have measurable goals this season that include winning the Pac-12 title, earning a high seed to host the first and second rounds, and advancing past the second round -- something the program has never done.
With a fast start in Pac-12 play and two more conference matches at home before it hits the road, ASU has taken the first steps. But the Pac-12 currently features seven teams ranked in the nation's top 25. The road only gets tougher.
"It certainly has been fun to see us playing this well, but it can be distracting if you're not actively looking for ways to get better while you're reminiscing about the last match," Watson said. "There are 18 matches still to go and there are strange things that are going to happen that we don't even now about yet. We've got to be able to deal with it."
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Best Starts In ASU History
1. 1973: 21-0 (Mary Littlewood, Intermountain Conference)
2. 2015: 13-0 (Jason Watson, Pac-12 Conference)
3. 1976: 11-0 (Mary Littlewood, Intermountain Conference)
4. 1985: 9-0 (Debbie Brown, Pacific West Conference)
5. 1981: 8-0 (Dale Flickinger, WCAA)
6. 1992: 8-0 (Patti Snyder-Park, Pac-10 Conference)
NCAA women's volleyball rankings as of Sept. 28
RANK SCHOOL POINTS RECORD PREVIOUS
1 Penn State 1599 13-0 1
2 Southern California 1502 14-0 3
3 Texas 1494 12-1 2
4 Nebraska 1401 11-1 4
5 Washington 1319 13-0 6
6 Arizona State 1296 13-0 7
7 Illinois 1159 11-2 9
8 Stanford 1139 7-3 8
9 Florida 1121 9-2 5
10 Hawai'i 1014 12-1 11
11 UCLA 863 10-2 13
12 Kansas 852 14-0 15
13 Ohio State 794 12-2 12
14 Arizona 766 11-3 14
15 BYU 756 11-2 10
16 Minnesota 596 9-3 21
17 Florida State 551 9-4 17
18 Purdue 488 11-2 20
19 Wisconsin 447 8-4 16
20 Colorado State 388 9-3 19
21 Kentucky 351 10-5 24
22 Oregon 346 7-4 18
23 Michigan 155 11-2 22
24 Long Beach State 138 12-3 25
25 Wyoming 63 12-2 NR