Sept. 26, 2010
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TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 8-ranked California volleyball team (12-0, 2-0 Pac-10) swept Arizona State (5-9, 0-2 Pac-10) in three sets (25-23, 25-21, 26-24) at the Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday, Sept. 26. The Golden Bears remain undefeated and are off to their best start since a 16-0 streak opened up the 2006 season. Cal was led by junior outside hitter Tarah Murrey, who had 20 kills (3e, 36att, .472), and senior setter Carli Lloyd, whose 45 assists allowed the Bears to attack at a .304 rate (52k, 17e, 115att).
Freshman outside hitter Adrienne Gehan logged double-digit kills for the third time this season as she put in 11 (7e, 27att, .148). Sophomore libero Robin Rostratter led the team with 13 digs while sophomore opposite hitter Correy Johnson put up nine kills (2e, 18att, .389). Sophomore middle hitter Kat Brown added six kills (0e, 15att) for a .400 hitting percentage and led the Bears with four blocks. For Cal, it was the 16th consecutive win against ASU dating back to Nov. 9, 2002.
Arizona State senior outside hitter Sarah Reaves tied for team-high honors with 12 kills (6e, 40att, .150) and added eight digs. Sun Devil freshman outside Danica Mendivil also had 12 kills (4e, 30att, .27). Junior setter Cat Highmark had 33 assists and senior libero Sarah Johnson led all players with 14 digs. The Sun Devils attacked at a .223 rate with 40 kills (15e) on 112 swings.
Arizona State grabbed the first lead of the match by running out to a 5-1 lead, but Brown held serve while Lloyd and Murrey got two kills apiece through five-straight points to give the Bears a 10-8 cushion. Facing a 15-17 deficit, the Bears used a four-point run to seize a 19-17 lead as Murrey ripped a kill through the hole. The Devils responded to pull the set into its sixth tie at 23-all, but a kill by Johnson on a slide play gave the Bears set point. Murrey blasted a shot cross-court off a high-ball set from Lloyd for her seventh kill of the set and the final point. Cal locked up a .378 hitting percentage by earning 18 kills (4e) on 37 attacks. The Devils had 15 kills (5e, 37att) for a .270 attack rate.
The Bears never trailed in the second set and led by as many as six points on several occasions. Brown and Lloyd connected on a slide play to push Cal in front, 18-12, before the Devils went on a run to pull within one point at 21-20. The Bears claimed the next three points and earned set point at 24-20 off a cross-court kill shot by Gehan. The Devils got one more point before a service error ended any other chances of a comeback bid. Cal posted a .206 attack percentage in the second set with 14 kills (7e, 34att) while Arizona State logged a .111 rate with 10 kills (6e, 36att).
After the Sun Devils went up, 5-3, in the third set, the Bears responded to grab a 7-5 lead thanks to three kills by Brown and a block solo by Gehan. Cal held the lead until Arizona State closed in to earn an 11-all tie on a block. The Bears went ahead again and pulled away for a 21-17 advantage as Murrey earned three kills over the course of five plays. The Devils were undeterred, however, as they surged back into the set on a couple of kills by Reaves. With the score tied at 24, Brown slammed her sixth kill of the match to the ground before an ASU error sealed the match for the Bears. Cal had 20 kills (6e, 44att) for a .318 hitting percentage in the final set to outpace a Sun Devil offense that put up a .282 hitting percentage (15k, 4e, 39att).
Cal returns home to host No. 15 Oregon (14-0, 2-0 Pac-10) and Oregon State (8-8, 1-1) at Haas Pavilion next weekend. The Bears face the Ducks in a 7 p.m. PT match on Friday, Oct. 1, and take on the Beavers at 7 p.m. PT on Saturday, Oct. 2. Please check CalBears.com for more information.
