TEMPE, Ariz.—After playing the last nine matches at home, the No. 5 Arizona State volleyball team (15-0, 4-0 Pac-12) will take its first Pac-12 Conference road trip of the season this weekend, traveling to the state of Washington to take on No. 6 Washington (13-1, 3-1 Pac-12) and Washington State (12-4, 1-3 Pac-12) on Friday and Sunday.
Friday’s match against the Huskies is set for 7 p.m. PT at Alaska Airlines Arena, and will be live streamed via pac-12.com/live/university-washington-2. Sunday’s match against the Cougars will serve off at 11 a.m. PT at Bohler Gym and will air on the Pac-12 Networks with Kate Scott (pbp) and Dain Blanton (color) on the call.
Updates throughout the Sun Devils’ matches will also be available via Twitter by following @SunDevilVB.
REMAINING UNDEFEATED NCAA DI TEAMS
@SunDevilVB (15-0)
@USCWomensVolley (16-0)
@KUVolleyball (15-0)
ABOUT THE HUSKIES (Oct. 9, 7 p.m. PT)
Washington was on the road last week, splitting its matches against UCLA and USC.
Against the Bruins, the Huskies hit .225 and held UCLA to just .070 attacking. Lianna Sybeldon led the way with 13 kills on .500 hitting. Washington also used a 17.0-8.0 advantage in blocking in the win.
The loss to the Trojans marked the first of the Huskies’ season, Washington dropping the first before evening the match in the second set. The Huskies battled USC to a 31-33 loss in the fourth set of the match, Sybeldon leading the way with 10 kills, while Crissy Jones added nine.
Prior to hosting the Sun Devils, Washington will face off against Arizona on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. PT.
The Sun Devils dropped both matches to the Huskies last season, trailing in the all-time series, 20-41. The last time ASU defeated Washington was on Nov. 22, 2012, upsetting the then-No. 5 Huskies in their final conference road trip, in four sets. In that match, then-freshman Macey Gardner led the way with 19 kills.
ABOUT THE COUGARS (Oct. 11, 11 a.m. PT)
Washington State dropped both its road matches last week, falling to USC and UCLA, 3-0 in each contest.
Against the Trojans, Kyra Holt led the Cougars with seven kills, while Claire Martin added six. Against the Bruins, Holt knocked down 15 kills, while Taylor Mims added nine and McKenna Woodford picked up eight.
ASU leads Washington State in the all-time series, 33-25, picking up both wins in 2014. During the five-set match in Tempe, Macey Gardner racked up 25 kills, while Mercedes Binns added 14 on .440 hitting.
In Pullman, the Sun Devils also picked up the win in five, Gardner recording 29 kills, one off her single-match career high, while Binns added 11 kills, and Bianca Arellano picked up a double-double with 50 assists and 15 digs.
ASU WITH BEST CONFERENCE START SINCE JOINING PAC-10 IN 1986
Over the weekend, the undefeated Sun Devils picked up two more wins, over Stanford and California, to stretch the league start to 4-0.
This start marks the best league opener since joining the Pac-10 Conference in 1986. The previous best start was opening at 3-0 during that season.
It also marks the first time ASU has swept back-to-back conference weekends since 2004: at Oregon (Oct. 8, 3-1) & at Oregon State (Oct. 9, 3-0) and vs. Washington (Oct. 15, 3-0) and vs. Washington State (Oct. 15, 3-2).
ASU’S TOP PAC-10/12 STARTS
2015 - ASU def. Arizona (3-1), Oregon State (3-0), Stanford (3-1, California (3-0)
1986 - ASU def. Oregon (3-2), Oregon State (3-2), USC (3-1)
1989 - ASU def. Oregon (3-1), Oregon State (3-0)
1994 - ASU def. Oregon (3-0), Oregon State (3-2)
1999 - ASU def. Oregon (3-0), Oregon State (3-0)
LAST TIME OUT
The Sun Devils picked up two more victories last week, first defeating Stanford for the first time since 2000 in four sets, and then wrapping up the nine-match home stand with a three-set win over California.
In the match against the Cardinal, Macey Gardner led the way with 22 kills, matching her season high, while Whitney Follette (12), Bree Bailey (11), and Cassidy Pickrell (11) also recorded double-figure kills in the win.
Against the Bears, Gardner recorded nine of 14 kills in the third set, with the 13th kill of the night breaking the 20-year-old school record for kills, previously held by Christine Garner (1992-95) at 1,871. Pickrell added 10 kills, while Follette tallied the top attack percentage of the night at .545 with eight kills on 11 attempts.
ASU DEFEATS BAY AREA SCHOOLS ON SAME WEEKEND FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1993
The last time ASU defeated both Stanford and California on the same weekend was in 1993. Those matches were also won at home, with the Sun Devils sweeping both schools.
UP NEXT
Next week, the Sun Devils remain on the road, traveling to Los Angeles to take on USC and UCLA. The match against the Trojans is set for Friday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. PT, while the match against the Bruins will start at 1:30 p.m. PT on Sunday, Oct. 18.
Both matches will air on the Pac-12 Networks.
BEST STARTS IN ASU HISTORY
1973: 21-0 (Mary Littlewood, Intermountain Conference)
2015: 15-0 (Jason Watson, Pac-12 Conference)
1976: 11-0 (Mary Littlewood, Intermountain Conference)
1985: 9-0 (Debbie Brown, Pacific West Conference)
1981: 8-0 (Dale Flickinger, WCAA)
1992: 8-0 (Patti Snyder-Park, Pac-10 Conference)
5x at 7-0 (1x Debbie Brown (1988), 3x Patti Snyder-Park (1993, 1995, 1997), Jason Watson (2013)
MACEY GARDNER BREAKS ASU’S 20-YEAR-OLD KILL RECORDOn Sunday, Oct. 4, Gardner broke Christine Garner’s 20-year-old school record of 1,871 in the 3-0 sweep over Cal. In the win, Gardner recorded 14 kills, including nine in the third set, bringing ASU’s new best to 1,873 and counting.
She is 127 kills from reaching the 2,000 milestone, and she will be the seventh player from the Pac-10/12 to reach that mark. The last time a Pac-12 athlete surpassed 2,000 kills was in 2010 when Stanford’s Alix Klineman finished her career with 2,008.
Gardner is currently 45 kills away from moving to No. 10 in the Pac-12 Conference’s all-time kills list (Alex Jupiter, USC, 2008-11, 1,918 kills). She has recorded 500-plus kills in each of her previous three seasons with the Sun Devils: 577 in 2012, 506 in 2013, and 594 in 2014.
ASU TOP-3 CAREER KILLS
1. Macey Gardner, 2012-present (1,873)
2. Christine Garner, 1992-95 (1,871)
3. Sarah Reaves, 2007-10 (1,796)
GARDNER NAMED SPORTS IMPORTS/AVCA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Macey Gardner was named the Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Gardner, a 2014 AVCA All-American, is the first Sun Devil to earn national honors from the AVCA since Amanda Burbridge was recognized on Oct. 23, 2000. The third ASU athlete to earn AVCA accolades was Christine Garner on Oct. 16, 1995. Burbridge and Garner also earned AVCA All-America honors during their Sun Devil careers.
GARDNER NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After leading the Arizona State volleyball team to its first win over then-No. 8 Stanford in 15 years and breaking the 20-year-old school kills record in the win over California, senior outside hitter Macey Gardner was named Pac-12 Offensive Player Of The Week, the league office announced on Monday, Oct. 5.
This is Gardner’s fourth career honor and the first since the 2013 season. Gardner also was named Player of the Week twice in 2012. Gardner and Garner both received four league honors during their careers, tied for the most in program history.
ASU IN THE AVCA POLL
After opening the Pac-12 slate at 4-0, the best start since joining the league, and remaining undefeated on the year at 15-0, the Sun Devils moved up one spot in the AVCA Poll to No. 5.
For the second week in a row, this marks the highest ranking the Sun Devils have achieved in program history, and also marks the first time ASU picked up first-place votes in the poll with two.
THE GARDNER-GARNER CONNECTION
Dating back to the beginning of the 2012 season, the Sun Devils have won 74 matches, the most since ASU won 80 matches from the 1992-95 seasons.
On the team from 1992-95 - ASU’s previous kills record-holder, Christine Garner (1,871).
The 2015 Sun Devils are on pace to match or surpass that mark of 80 wins in four seasons, while Macey Gardner broke Garner’s 20-year-old record on Sunday, Oct. 4, against California.
Since the first year of the program—42 years ago—the Sun Devils have won 75 or more matches 11 times, and 80 or more seven times. The most matches ASU has won in a four-season span is 85, which ASU did three times: between 1985-88, 1982-85, and 1980-83.
1,000+ CAREER KILLS & DIGS
Against Northern Arizona (Sept. 8), Macey Gardner became the 10th Sun Devil to record more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in their career, the 17th to surpass the career mark of 1,000 digs.
Gardner currently has 1,090 digs, all time.
The last Sun Devil to move onto the list of 1,000 and 1,000 was Margie Giordano (2005-08), with 1,312 career kills and 1,218 career digs, while the last Sun Devil to enter the 1,000+ career digs list was libero Stephanie Preach, who totaled 2,010 from 2010-13, second-most all time at ASU.
FOLLETTE NEARING ASU BLOCK ASSISTS RECORD
Senior Whitney Follette currently has 316 block assists to her name in her Sun Devil career, which sits at No. 3 all-time in ASU lore, 13 behind the No. 2 mark and 62 behind the leader.
Ahead of Follette is Sonja Markanovich’s (2008-11) career total of 329 block assists, and Tina Berg’s (1987-90) program-leading career mark of 378.
ARELLANO NEARS 3,000-ASSIST MARK
In just three seasons with the Sun Devils, setter Bianca Arellano has amassed 2,836 career assists, which sits at No. 5 in the ASU all-time list. Arellano is 120 away from Jennifer Helfrich’s (1989-92) mark of 2,956.
Arellano is 164 assists away from becoming just the fourth Sun Devil to surpass the career mark of 3,000 or more assists.
For 28 years, Regina Stahl (1984-87) has held the school record for assists at 5,180. The only other Sun Devil to record more than 4,000 assists was Cheryl Anglin (2000-03), while Marina Mercer (2006-09) sits at No. 3 all-time at 3,680 assists.
SUN DEVILS SET WATSON-ERA ATTENDANCE RECORD AGAINST ARIZONA
In the win over Pac-12 rival Arizona on Sept. 24, the Sun Devils set a new top-attendance in head coach Jason Watson’s tenure with 5,152 fans, surpassing the 2014 record of 4,185 fans against Washington (Oct. 17).
Additionally, the Sun Devils recorded a new student-section record on Sept. 24 with 2,011 fans.
Four of the top-10 Watson-era attendances have been against Arizona, while the remaining six have come in matches against Washington (2014), USC (2013), Stanford (2015), California (2015), and twice against Oregon State (2012 & 2014).
The program’s attendance record was set on Oct. 4, 1968 at 8,516 when ASU hosted Stanford.
A complete list of attendances and match dates is available on page 4 of the attached notes PDF.
ASU SECURES FIRST TERRITORIAL CUP SERIES OPPORTUNITY
With last Thursday’s four-set win over the rival Wildcats, the Sun Devils secured the first half-point up for grabs in the annual Territorial Cup Series ® with Arizona.
In 2014-15, the Sun Devils won the Territorial Cup Series® for the second straight year, 12.5-7.5. ASU was helped by the 6-point sweep from the track and field and cross country teams.
ASU and UA’s sports teams will compete against one another in 20 common varsity intercollegiate sports. For a school to be the winner of the Territorial Cup Series Trophy, they must accumulate 10.5 points.
ASU PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN THE PAC-12
For the first time since 1994, the Sun Devils were picked to finish second in the Pac-12 Conference in the preseason coaches poll, while returning AVCA All-American Macey Gardner was named to the Pac-12 Preseason Team for the third time in her career.
ON THE PAC-12 SLATE
ASU hosts Utah and Colorado on Oct. 23 & 24, respectively, to round out the first half of conference action before taking on a pair of midweek road matches at Stanford and California, followed by a return trip home to host the Washington schools in the first week of November.
The Sun Devils hit the road to face Colorado and Utah before rounding out the regular season home slate against UCLA and USC on Nov. 20 and 22, before finishing off the regular season at Oregon on Nov. 25 and at Arizona on Nov. 27.
ON THE RETURNERS
Leading the Sun Devils this season are the class of five seniors: outside hitter Macey Gardner, setter Bianca Arellano, middle blocker Whitney Follette, middle blocker Mercedes Binns, and outside hitter Andi Lowrance.
Starting in each set and each match last season, AVCA All-American Gardner led the way with 594 kills—No. 2 in the single season top-10 at ASU, while Arellano added 1417 assists and a team-leading 28 service aces. Also getting the start in each of the 34 matches was Binns, who added 278 kills and 109 total blocks.
Follette missed action during the non-conference portion of the season and the beginning of last year’s Pac-12 slate, but returned strong and finished the year with 181 kills and 87 blocks, while Lowrance earned seven starts and appeared in 13 more matches, totaling 61 kills and 31 blocks.
Also back in action for ASU is sophomore libero Halle Harker, junior defensive specialist Mia Mazon, junior outside hitter Kizzy Ricedorff (Willey), and junior outside hitter Bree Bailey.
Harker finished her freshman season with 521 digs, the No. 10 mark in the single-season list, also the freshman record. Harker also recorded a career best total of 34 digs against Oregon on Nov. 15, the highest single-game total for a freshman. Harker is on pace to become the 17th Sun Devil to surpass the 1,000-dig milestone.
Bailey and Ricedorff combined for the rest of the Sun Devil offence with 527 kills. Ricedorff also added 13 aces and 44 blocks, while Bailey added 17 aces and 98 blocks. In her first year with the Sun Devils, Mazon saw action in 24 matches to boost the ASU defense.
ON THE NEWCOMERS
The Sun Devils welcome six newcomers to the roster in 2015, freshmen Kierstin Fowler (Flagstaff, Ariz./Coconino HS), Kylie Pickrell (Coppell, Texas/Coppell HS), Jasmine Koonts (Houston, Texas/Klein HS), Lexi MacLean (Frisco, Texas/Centennial HS), and Tia Philippart (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS), and junior transfer Cassidy Pickrell (Coppell, Texas/Coppell HS/UC Irvine).
ASU looks to add depth in the middle with the additions of Fowler, Koonts, and Philippart. On the outside, ASU adds MacLean and Cassidy Pickrell, a transfer from UC Irvine, while her younger sister Kylie Pickrell joins the Sun Devils as a setter.
2015 All-Tournament Team Selections
Falcon Classic
MVP - Whitney Follette
All-Tournament Team - Kizzy Ricedorff (Willey)
All-Tournament Setter - Kylie Pickrell
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