SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Despite double-digit kills from Erica Wilson and Macey Gardner, the Arizona State volleyball team was swept by Utah on Sunday afternoon. The Sun Devils are now 13-8 overall record and 2-6 in the Pac-12 after falling to the Utes 15-25, 16-25, 22-25.
Top performers for the Sun Devils were Wilson (14 kills), Gardner (12 kills) and Shannan McCready (21 assists). Utah improved to 11-10 and 2-6 in conference.
The first set saw five Sun Devils tally a kill as the two teams traded the lead through the 7-7 mark. The Utes then went on an eight-point run before Wilson stopped the streak at 15-9. Using six blocks and a .560 hitting percentage, Utah took the first set 25-15.
ASU started slow in the second set, trailing 9-4 as the Utah blocking continued to stifle the Sun Devils' attack. Gardner teamed with Whitney Follette to cut the Utah lead to 13-11, but ASU quickly fell behind 20-12 and went into the locker room down two sets after dropping the frame 16-25.
Battling through seven ties and three lead changes early in the third set, ASU kept the score close at 11-9. The Utes then grabbed a four-point advantage, leading to a timeout at 17-13. Arizona State chipped away at the Utah lead and rallied to tie it at 21-all, but Utah held on down the stretch to claim the third set 22-25 and the match 3-0.
