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No. 15 ASU sweeps No. 9 Colorado State, notches eighth win against Top-10 opponent under Watson

ASU's starting middle blockers combined for 16 kills on just 25 attempts.

Junior middle blocker Mercedes Binns powers a shot in the fourth set of the ASU vs Oregon volleyball game at the Wells Fargo Arena on November 11th, 2014. The Sun Devils would win the fourth set 26-24 but lose in five 3-2 to the Ducks. (Photo by Daniel Kwon)
Junior middle blocker Mercedes Binns powers a shot in the fourth set of the ASU vs Oregon volleyball game at the Wells Fargo Arena on November 11th, 2014. The Sun Devils would win the fourth set 26-24 but lose in five 3-2 to the Ducks. (Photo by Daniel Kwon)

No. 15 ASU women’s volleyball swept No. 9 Colorado State University (25-17, 25-21, 25-20). It's the team's 15th win over a ranked opponent since head coach Jason Watson was hired in 2008.

ASU middle blockers stood out once again. Senior middle blocker Whitney Follete had eight kills on 14 attempts with only one error, and senior Mercedes Binns had eight blocks on just 11 attempts. She did not have a single error.

Binns’ accuracy came from hits close to the net. Multiple times, the dig was hit to senior setter Bianca Arellano close enough to the net where she could pass it almost straight into the air for the 6-foot-3-inch Binns.

Those were spiked straight into CSU’s side for an ASU point.

ASU took advantage of the graduation of former CSU star middle blocker Kelsey Snider. The absence was filled by sophomore Alexandra Poletto.

Poletto warmed up as the match went on, getting four kills in the final set. When she was able to get a pass at the net to bullet straight down she was successful, but her cold stretch lasted for too long. She finished with six kills and four errors on 14 attempts.

The only CSU hitter with a higher hitting percentage was senior outside hitter Adrianna Culbert. She hit .214 with 11 kills.

Culbert’s impact came all around the court. In addition to 11 kills, she had 13 assists and seven digs. She’s one of the key players for CSU, and in limiting her hitting percentage, ASU did a good job of containing her.

The Sun Devils had 10 total blocks, including the match-winning point.

In an interview with the Mountain West live stream "Campus Insiders" after the match, CSU’s Culbert said her team wasn’t aggressive enough.

“We saw the physical block and we came in tentative,” she said.

In the first set, three blocks came from junior outside hitter BreElle Bailey. She was in the right positioning due to her spot in the rotation; checking in for freshman setter Kylie Pickrell when she was at the net, the 6-foot-4-inch athlete was able to be in position to stop balls better than Kylie Pickrell might have been.

ASU won the first two through gritty defense and high hitting percentages from the top three hitters. Leading 18-13 in set two, Follette and Binns each had five kills. Follette was hitting 44 percent; Binns was above 71 percent.

Senior outside hitter Macey Gardner had six kills and was hitting 50 percent.

CSU head coach Tom Hilbert did not sound pleased with his team in the "Campus Insiders" interview.

“We weren’t disruptive to them,” he said. “We were very simple in what we did.”

CSU changed their mentality against Gardner in the third set and effected her play. After the fiery start, Gardner finished with seven kills on 22 attempts and had five errors.

Junior outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell began playing better in the third set, though. She had four consecutive ASU kills near the beginning of the set. CSU had a pair of attacking errors during the streak, and ASU’s lead jumped to 9-3.

The Sun Devils maintained the lead until shutting the door and sweeping No. 9 CSU.

“That team is very talented,” Hilbert said. “They’re physically more talented than we are.”


Reach the reporter at logan.newman@asu.edu or follow @Logan_Newsman on Twitter.

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