TEMPE, Ariz. -- Led by Macey Gardner’s 20 kills, the Arizona State volleyball team swept California 3-0 on Friday for the first time since 2000. The Sun Devils took the victory with set scores of 25-17, 25-19 and 25-14.
ASU improved to 13-3 and 2-1 in Pac-12 and dropped Cal to 7-6 and 1-2 in conference play.
In the opening set, the Sun Devils found a groove early to go up 6-3 behind a kill and then a service ace from Whitney Follette. A block-assist from Nora Tuioti-Mariner and Follette fired up the crowd of 883, and ASU received one more kill from Gardner before the Golden Bears called their first timeout at 13-8.
Swinging at a .321 clip, ASU rolled to a 20-14 lead with three timely service aces. Cal took its second timeout at 22-15, but ASU tallied its final three points soon after to take the set 25-17.
The second set started much closer, as the teams traded points until ASU used six straight points to inch ahead 14-9. The Golden Bears answered by tying it up at 15-all to force ASU into its first timeout of the match. Back-to-back kills from Follette and Alexis Pinson, both assisted by Allison Palmer, preceded Cal calling a timeout with ASU up 22-17. The Sun Devils finished it off 25-19 with three kills from Erica Wilson. Wilson went on to finish with 12 kills and one of ASU’s five service aces.
ASU was 5-0 on the year after leading 2-0 heading into the break, and the Sun Devils stretched that record to 6-0 after taking the third set 25-14, which gave ASU its first sweep of Cal since Oct. 28, 2000, and its sixth sweep on the year.
After six ties to open the third frame, ASU gained control on a four-point run, with three kills coming from Tuioti-Mariner to make 10-6. Gardner then started a 10-3 scoring spree, tallying 10 of her 20 kills on the night in the third set to allow ASU to stretch its lead to 21-13. The Sun Devils finished off the Golden Bears 25-14 to take the match and the set.
