BOISE, Idaho—The Arizona State volleyball team (7-4) picked up its first win over a ranked opponent in 2016 on Friday, knocking off previously undefeated No. 17 Santa Clara (9-1) in five sets (20-25, 13-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-8) to open the Boise Classic at the Bronco Gym.
"Coming back from 0-2 against a Top-25 team was big time for this group," head coach Stevie Mussie said. "We preach about playing with a lot of energy and staying mindful throughout the match, so this win really is a testament to our ability to refocus, lock back in, and execute. I may not have been at ASU long, but to do something so momentous as win the program's 700th and to do it the way we did is really exciting and I'm thrilled that I'm a part of that."
The win marks both Coach Mussie's first over an opponent in the Top-25, and is also the 700th in the history of the Sun Devil volleyball program. Additionally, the win marks ASU's first Top-25 victory since Oct. 2, 2015, when the Sun Devils took the 3-1 win over then-No. 8 Stanford, snapping a 15-year losing skid to the Cardinal.
Coming back from a two-set deficit for the first time this season, senior Cassidy Pickrell and junior Oluoma Okaro led the way with 15 kills apiece. Sophomore Lexi MacLean posted 12 kills, including the set-winners in the fourth and fifth, while freshman Ivana Jeremic added seven on .300 attacking.
Pickrell picked up her third double-double in as many matches, adding a team-high 14 digs. As a team, ASU hit over .300 in the third and fifth sets, at .353 and .312, respectively.
Nikki Hess led the way for Santa Clara with 20 kills, while Sabrina Clayton added 16 and Jensen Cunningham added 10.
In ASU's second match of the day, the Sun Devils fell in four sets to Portland State (8-3), 25-19, 27-29, 25-18, 25-22. C. Pickrell led the way with 14 kills on .333 attacking, while Jeremic added 10 on .348 hitting. Okaro set a new career high in block assists with eight, and finished with nine total blocks.
"This was a tough match for us," Mussie said. "The turn-around from the end of our first match to this match was an hour and a half. We didn't come out ready to play and Portland State is a very good team, this was their second win over a Pac-12 team this season. The lesson for us continues to be proper preparation and execution on our side of the net."
Three Vikings tallied double-figure kills in the match, including Pati Anae's 19 kills, Caitlin Bettenay's 15, and Katy Wilson's 10 on .692 attacking.
Up next, the Sun Devils cap the 2016 non-conference slate on Saturday with an 11 a.m. PT/Noon MT first-serve against tournament-host Boise State. Live stats and a live stream will be available.
Match Notes:
ASU vs. No. 17 Santa Clara
Kills: C. Pickrell (15), Okaro (15), MacLean (12)
Attack Pct: Jeremic (.300; 7K, 1E, 20TA)
Assists: Pearson (27), K. Pickrell (25)
Digs: C. Pickrell (14), Harker (12)
Aces: Okaro (6)*, Leffel (2)
*Ties Career High
Double-Doubles: C. Pickrell (3rd; 15 kills & 14 digs)
Blocks: Okaro (4TB), Jeremic (3TB), Koonts (3TB: 2BS & 1BA)
ASU vs. Portland State
Kills: C. Pickrell (14), Jeremic (10)
Attack Pct: Jeremic (.348; 10K, 2E, 23TA), C. Pickrell (.333; 14K, 2E, 36TA)
Assists: K. Pickrell (21), Pearson (14)
Digs: Harker (17)
Blocks: Okaro (9TB: 1BS & 8BA), Nwoke (6TB: 1BS & 5BA), Koonts (6BA)
Aces: Pearson (2), Okaro (2)
Program Notes
Mussie: ASU's win over No. 17 Santa Clara marks the first victory over a ranked opponent in Coach Mussie's tenure
Program Win Milestones
1-ASU 3, NAU 0 (15-6, 15-1, 15-2) (Sept. 24, 1973)
100-ASU 3, Mesa CC 0 (16-14, 15-9, 15-7) (Sept. 19, 1979)
200-ASU 3, California 1 (14-16, 21-19, 15-5, 15-10 (Oct. 5, 1984)
300-ASU 3, Oregon State 0 (15-12, 15-7, 15-6) (Sept. 15, 1989)
400-ASU 3, San Diego State 2 (15-13, 6-15, 9-15, 15-6, 15-12 (Dec. 3, 1994)
500-ASU 3, Arizona 0 (33-31, 30-26, 42-40) (Sept. 27, 2002)
600-ASU 3, USC 1 (29-27, 25-23, 14-25, 25-23) (Oct. 15, 2010)
700-ASU 3, SCU 2 (20-25, 13-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-8) (Sept. 16, 2016)
"Coming back from 0-2 against a Top-25 team was big time for this group," head coach Stevie Mussie said. "We preach about playing with a lot of energy and staying mindful throughout the match, so this win really is a testament to our ability to refocus, lock back in, and execute. I may not have been at ASU long, but to do something so momentous as win the program's 700th and to do it the way we did is really exciting and I'm thrilled that I'm a part of that."
The win marks both Coach Mussie's first over an opponent in the Top-25, and is also the 700th in the history of the Sun Devil volleyball program. Additionally, the win marks ASU's first Top-25 victory since Oct. 2, 2015, when the Sun Devils took the 3-1 win over then-No. 8 Stanford, snapping a 15-year losing skid to the Cardinal.
Coming back from a two-set deficit for the first time this season, senior Cassidy Pickrell and junior Oluoma Okaro led the way with 15 kills apiece. Sophomore Lexi MacLean posted 12 kills, including the set-winners in the fourth and fifth, while freshman Ivana Jeremic added seven on .300 attacking.
Pickrell picked up her third double-double in as many matches, adding a team-high 14 digs. As a team, ASU hit over .300 in the third and fifth sets, at .353 and .312, respectively.
Nikki Hess led the way for Santa Clara with 20 kills, while Sabrina Clayton added 16 and Jensen Cunningham added 10.
In ASU's second match of the day, the Sun Devils fell in four sets to Portland State (8-3), 25-19, 27-29, 25-18, 25-22. C. Pickrell led the way with 14 kills on .333 attacking, while Jeremic added 10 on .348 hitting. Okaro set a new career high in block assists with eight, and finished with nine total blocks.
"This was a tough match for us," Mussie said. "The turn-around from the end of our first match to this match was an hour and a half. We didn't come out ready to play and Portland State is a very good team, this was their second win over a Pac-12 team this season. The lesson for us continues to be proper preparation and execution on our side of the net."
Three Vikings tallied double-figure kills in the match, including Pati Anae's 19 kills, Caitlin Bettenay's 15, and Katy Wilson's 10 on .692 attacking.
Up next, the Sun Devils cap the 2016 non-conference slate on Saturday with an 11 a.m. PT/Noon MT first-serve against tournament-host Boise State. Live stats and a live stream will be available.
Match Notes:
ASU vs. No. 17 Santa Clara
Kills: C. Pickrell (15), Okaro (15), MacLean (12)
Attack Pct: Jeremic (.300; 7K, 1E, 20TA)
Assists: Pearson (27), K. Pickrell (25)
Digs: C. Pickrell (14), Harker (12)
Aces: Okaro (6)*, Leffel (2)
*Ties Career High
Double-Doubles: C. Pickrell (3rd; 15 kills & 14 digs)
Blocks: Okaro (4TB), Jeremic (3TB), Koonts (3TB: 2BS & 1BA)
ASU vs. Portland State
Kills: C. Pickrell (14), Jeremic (10)
Attack Pct: Jeremic (.348; 10K, 2E, 23TA), C. Pickrell (.333; 14K, 2E, 36TA)
Assists: K. Pickrell (21), Pearson (14)
Digs: Harker (17)
Blocks: Okaro (9TB: 1BS & 8BA), Nwoke (6TB: 1BS & 5BA), Koonts (6BA)
Aces: Pearson (2), Okaro (2)
Program Notes
Mussie: ASU's win over No. 17 Santa Clara marks the first victory over a ranked opponent in Coach Mussie's tenure
Program Win Milestones
1-ASU 3, NAU 0 (15-6, 15-1, 15-2) (Sept. 24, 1973)
100-ASU 3, Mesa CC 0 (16-14, 15-9, 15-7) (Sept. 19, 1979)
200-ASU 3, California 1 (14-16, 21-19, 15-5, 15-10 (Oct. 5, 1984)
300-ASU 3, Oregon State 0 (15-12, 15-7, 15-6) (Sept. 15, 1989)
400-ASU 3, San Diego State 2 (15-13, 6-15, 9-15, 15-6, 15-12 (Dec. 3, 1994)
500-ASU 3, Arizona 0 (33-31, 30-26, 42-40) (Sept. 27, 2002)
600-ASU 3, USC 1 (29-27, 25-23, 14-25, 25-23) (Oct. 15, 2010)
700-ASU 3, SCU 2 (20-25, 13-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-8) (Sept. 16, 2016)