TEMPE, Ariz.—Arizona State volleyball’s senior All-American Macey Gardner will miss the rest of the 2015 season with a torn ACL in her left knee, head coach Jason Watson announced.
"Macey has handled this injury with the grace and humility in which she has handled everything in her career,” Watson said. “Those who know her, know that she still leads and guides this team. While her role is different, her influence remains the same.
"I do want to thank the many people within the volleyball community who have reached out in support. Macey is a Sun Devil, but her play over the years has been recognized and appreciated by those outside our fan base. Which is another testament to the caliber of Macey's character."
Gardner, an outside hitter out of Gilbert, sustained the injury during the second set of ASU’s match at Washington on Friday, Oct. 9.
"It shows how everything can change in an instant,” Gardner said. “You never imagine your senior year would play out like this, but it has. Now my mindset has had to change the last couple of days and turn into more of an encourager and teammate than player on the court. I’m still going to be here for the girls. There's not a change in that."
Prior to the injury, Gardner was the AVCA national and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after she broke the 20-year-old school kill record in the team’s three-set win over California. Gardner recorded nine kills, including the record-breaker, in the third set. She will wrap her career with 1,882 kills, 11 ahead of the previous record.
This marked Gardner’s first career national player of the week honor, the third in program history, and was her fourth league honor, tying her for the most in program lore with previous kill record-holder Christine Garner (1992-95).
Defensively, Gardner became the 17th Sun Devil to record 1,000 career digs, and just the 10th to record 1,000 or more kills and digs in her career.
Gardner’s storied Sun Devil career began in 2012 when she set freshman records for single-match kills (28 vs. UC Irvine, Aug. 31, 2012), kills in a season (577), and kills per game (4.40).
In her career, she recorded eight matches with 27 or more kills, including a school-record-tying 30 kills during the 2014 meeting against Arizona. She also owns the school record for single-match points when she recorded 33.0 against Washington State on Nov. 21, 2014.
A three-time Pac-12 All-Conference First-Team honoree, Gardner is just the second Sun Devil to earn three league honors, was a 2012 selection to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team (2012), and a two-time selection to the Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention list (2013 & 2014).
Gardner and the Sun Devils started off the 2015 campaign with 15 straight wins, the program’s best start since the inaugural season, in 1973. Along with reaching the program’s highest-ever ranking at No. 5, ASU also recorded its best conference start since joining the Pac-10 in 1986 when they went 4-0.
Up next, No. 10 ASU travels to Los Angeles to take on No. 1 USC and No. 12 UCLA on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The match against the Trojans is set for an 8 p.m. PT start, while the match against the Bruins will start at 1:30 p.m. PT. Both will air on the Pac-12 Networks.
Gardner’s Career Honors
2014 AVCA All-American (Third-Team)
2014 AVCA All-Pacific South Region
Pac-12 All-Conference First Team
2012, 2013, 2014
Pac-12 All-Freshman Team
2012
Pac-12 All Academic Team
Honorable Mention (2013 & 2014)
AVCA National Player Of The Week
Oct. 6, 2015
Pac-12 Player Of the Week
Oct. 5, 2015
Sept. 9, 2013
Oct. 1, 2012
Sept. 17, 2012
Career Records
Kills
1. 1,882
Digs
15. 1,093
Single-Season Marks
Kills
2. 594 (2014)
3. 577 (2012)
7. 506 (2013)
Single-Match Marks
Kills
1. 30 vs. Arizona (Sept. 24, 2014)
3. 29 vs. Washington State (Nov. 21, 2014) & 29 vs. Utah (Oct. 24, 2013)
5. 28 vs. Oregon (Nov. 15, 2014) & 28 vs. UC Irvine (Aug. 31, 2012)
8. 27 vs. USC (Sept. 26, 2014), vs. BYU (Dec. 6, 2013), & vs. Stanford (Sept. 30, 2012)
Single-Match Points
1. 33.0 vs. Washington State (Nov. 21, 2014)
4. 31.5 vs. Arizona (Sept. 24, 2014)
5. 31.0 vs. Oregon (Nov. 15, 2014)
7. 29.5 vs. Utah (Oct. 24, 2013)
9. 29.0 vs. Oregon (Oct. 24, 2014) & 29.0 vs. Washington State (Oct. 19, 2014)
Freshman Records
Kills
Match: 28 at. UC Irvine (Aug. 31, 2012)
Season: 577 (2012)
KPG: 4.40 (2012)