In a must-win road game for ASU volleyball, the Sun Devils accomplished their goal and upset the No. 5 Washington Huskies on Wednesday night.
The Sun Devils stunned the Huskies 3-1 to earn their 19th victory of the season in a must-win situation, as ASU continues to play for a potential postseason berth. It was the first road win over a ranked opponent since ASU upset No. 2 California back in 2010.
Led by freshman outside hitter Macey Gardner and her 19 kills, the Sun Devils got off to a hot start against the Huskies in the first set. With the game tied at eight apiece, a few Washington attacking errors and an ace from freshman setter Allison Palmer gave ASU 12-8. The Sun Devils never looked back and held off the Huskies en route to a 25-19 set victory.
The second set was a different story for both team as ASU converted only five kills in the set but committed six errors, lowering its hitting percentage to -0.029. The Huskies went on an 8-point run during the set to put the Sun Devils in a tough hole and eventually take the set 25-16.
Coming out the break, the Huskies were able to take a lead slim lead over the Sun Devils on a kill by senior outside hitter Kylin Munoz. Washington held the lead for most of the set, until a block and a kill from Gardner on back-to-back points gave the lead back to ASU at 24-23. Sophomore outside hitter Nora Tuioti-Mariner finished off the comeback and set 25-23.
With one set away from pulling of the huge upset, the Huskies refused to go down easy, exchanging leads with the Sun Devils for most of the set. The two teams battled till the game was tied at 20-20 before ASU went on a five-point run to end the game, which was finished on a kill by senior outside hitter Erica Wilson.
The Sun Devils return to Tempe Friday night for their season finale when they take on rival UA on Senior Night with a chance at a NCAA tournament berth on the line.
Reach the reporter at talopez3@asu.edu
