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Bailey, Binns anchor front line in No. 18 ASU volleyball's sweep of Pepperdine

Sophomore outside hitter BreElle Bailey attacks the ball in a match against Pepperdine on Sept. 20, 2014, in Wells Fargo Arena. (Photo by Mario Mendez)
Sophomore outside hitter BreElle Bailey attacks the ball in a match against Pepperdine on Sept. 20, 2014, in Wells Fargo Arena. (Photo by Mario Mendez)

Sophomore outside hitter McKenzie Willey hits the ball around the block in a home game against Pepperdine at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, Sept. 20. (Photo by Mario Mendez) Sophomore outside hitter McKenzie Willey hits the ball around the block in a home game against Pepperdine at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, Sept. 20. (Photo by Mario Mendez)

On the scoreboard, it wasn't as lopsided as Saturday's earlier match against NCCU. But ASU's authoritative play up front ultimately proved too much for Pepperdine to contend with in the long run, as it completed a three-set sweep of the visitors.

Early on, though, both teams got off to a sluggish start, bashing serves into the net or out of bounds.

"We were a little fatigued," ASU coach Jason Watson said. "It took us a little while to get anything going." ASU won the first two sets 25-21, and while the first set was rather one-sided, the Waves (5-7) showed more fight in the second, a wild match that featured 12 ties and five lead changes.

Watson said he was particularly impressed with the hustle and aggressiveness of senior setter Shannan McCready in the second set.

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"Today, it was a little different," he said. "(McCready) made three digs in a row that enabled us to keep in it."

Even though Watson said Thursday that he didn't want this year's offense to become "The Macey Show," the junior outside hitter proved yet again she can turn the tide of a set, and eventually the course of the entire game, in her team's favor.

"Macey was really good in game three, when we needed her to be," Watson said. "She's carrying this heavy load for us, and passing the ball really well. She's getting a lot of attention from other people's defenses.To end the game on the swing that she had, and to get a significant block speaks volumes for the work that she's doing for our team."

Gardner finished with a game-high 15 kills and a pair of service aces, including an ace that allowed her to close out the match with a kill on a set point to give the Sun Devils (10-2) a 25-23 edge and complete the sweep. But perhaps even more important were the contributions of sophomore outside hitter BreElle Bailey and junior middle blocker Mercedes Binns, both finishing with nine kills and combining for 11 blocks.

Sophomore outside hitter BreElle Bailey attacks the ball in a match against Pepperdine on Sept. 20, 2014 in Wells Fargo Arena. (Photo by Mario Mendez) Sophomore outside hitter BreElle Bailey attacks the ball in a match against Pepperdine on Sept. 20, 2014 in Wells Fargo Arena. (Photo by Mario Mendez)

"Mercedes was great all weekend long," Watson said. "She really stepped up to the challenge of filling in Whit's spot. She made a couple of key blocks one-on-one and elevated her game this weekend."

Bailey agreed with her coaches' assessment, and cited the chemistry she's developing with her front row partner.

"It's awesome blocking with someone just as tall as me, I feel bad for the hitter on the other side," Bailey said. "I love blocking next to Mercedes, we create this huge wall that's really hard to hit over and through, so it creates a lot of momentum for the whole team when we can get some big blocks."

Going forward, the Sun Devils will open conference against rival No. 20 UA next week, tasked with the challenge of containing senior outside hitter Madi Kingdon, who lead the Pac-12 in kills with 216.

"You have to go in with a plan in place for her," Watson. "You know they're gonna set her a ton, and they should, because she's good."

Watson said that opening conference play against ASU's archrival adds to the difficulty of playing steep Pac-12 competition.

"It's a fun match. When was the last time both teams in the state of Arizona were ranked, and led by two dominant outside hitters from Arizona?" Watson said. "But four straight on the road to open October — not kind."

ASU begins Pac-12 action at the McKale Center in Tucson when the Sun Devils take on UA on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m.

Reach the assistant sports editor at smodrich@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter at @StefanJModrich Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter


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