TEMPE, Ariz.—The Arizona State volleyball team picked up a crucial win on Wednesday, defeating California in four sets (25-16, 25-17, 22-25, 25-15) in the 2013 home finale at Wells Fargo Arena.
With the win, ASU improves to 19-12 on the year and 8-11 in Pac-12 action, while Cal drops to 17-11, 10-9 in league.
Sophomore Macey Gardner led the way with 22 kills, while junior Nora Tuioti-Mariner picked up a season-high 16 kills and was error free with a team-best .640 hitting percentage.
The Sun Devils played an efficient first set, picking up 18 kills and only one error for a hitting percentage of .486 and an 88 percent sideout rate. Gardner led the way with six kills, while California’s Christina Higgins paced the Bears with five.
In the second set, ASU posted 13 kills and a .414 hitting percentage, with Tuioti-Mariner leading the way with 5 kills.
The Bears came back in the third set, using a 4-0 run late in the set to win, 25-22, but ASU opened the fourth frame with an 8-1 run before coming out with the win, 25-15.
A kill from Tuioti-Mariner ended the game, and Arellano picked up her 55th assist on the point, tying her career best, which she recorded at Utah on Oct. 24.
The senior class, Stephanie Preach, Caitlyn Francis, Bethany Jorgensen, and Jenny Teslevich, played their final match in Wells Fargo Arena, and the team now looks ahead to Friday’s contest in Tucson against Pac-12 rival Arizona on Friday at 5 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks.