BOULDER, Colo.—The No. 17 Arizona State volleyball team held off a Colorado comeback try, picking up the win in five sets, 25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 15-25, 15-13, on Friday night at the Coors Events Center.
ASU improves to 12-3 on the year and 2-1 in Pac-12 matches while Colorado falls to 9-6, 1-2 in league action.
“The margins tonight were just so slim,” head coach Jason Watson said. “Bree (Bailey) made that block at the end, but if she didn’t, who knows what happens? We were up two sets, but we just stopped doing the things that allowed us to be successful. When you do that in this conference, tonight happens. I’m pleased with the way we could not be great and still pull out a win on the road. It’s impressive.”
Junior Macey Gardner led ASU with 18 kills, and is now No. 9 in the ASU all-time kills list with 1,310 and only two behind Margie Giordano’s (2005-08) 1,312.
Sophomore Kizzy Willey followed with 13 kills and her third double-double of the year with 13 digs, while fellow sophomore Bree Bailey added 11 kills.
“Macey and Kizzy played very well tonight,” Watson added. “We really wanted to get Kizzy going on offense, and she definitely had some big moments for us. Macey continues to do what she does, and really helped us grind out points tonight. It was very hard to do that, even in the sets we won. Then, we stopped working, and Colorado scored easily. Credit to them as well, they played very well tonight.”
The Sun Devils jumped out to a 2-0 advantage before the Buffaloes took the next two frames. ASU went on to use eight kills on 20 swings and only two errors to win the final frame by two, 15-13.
“When we were on game point in the first two sets, I thought it was us not trying to win the point, but hoping that they’d just give it to us,” Watson said. “When we had leads, we were aggressive, proactive, but then we eased off and Colorado made their run. Still, we’ve got two Pac-12 wins under our belt, road wins, and that’s crucial.”
ASU is back in action on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT/Noon MT, facing its fourth consecutive road opponent, Utah, at the Crimson Court in Salt Lake City. The match will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks.
Match Notes:
Double-digit Kills: Macey Gardner (18), Kizzy Willey (13*), Bree Bailey (11)
*tied career high
Top Attack Percentages: Kizzy Willey (.323; 13K, 0E, 31TA), Macey Gardner (.289; 18K, 5E, 45 TA)
Double-Doubles: Kizzy Willey (13K, 13 digs*), Bianca Arellano (47A, 13 digs*)
*tied for team high
Total Blocks: ASU: 14.0, Colorado: 8.0
Top Blocks: Andi Lowrance (2BS, 6BA=8TB*), Bree Bailey (6TB), Mercedes Binns (5TB)
*career high
Service Errors: Colorado 8, ASU 5
Season Notes:
ASU Top-10 Career Kills:
1. Christine Garner, 1992-95, 1871
2. Sarah Reeves, 2007-10, 1796
3. Tammy Webb, 1983-86, 1679
4. Amanda Burbridge, 1997-00, 1597
5. Christy Nore, 1985-88, 1517
6. Valentina Vega, 1982-83, 85-86, 1392
7. Jami Coughlin, 1998-01, 1360
8. Margie Giordano, 2005-08, 1312
9. Macey Gardner, 2012-present, 1310
10. Lisa Stuck, 1980-83, 1296
ASU’s Record By Set:
3 sets: 7-1
4 sets: 2-0
5 sets: 3-2