An errant pass hung over the net. ASU junior outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell looked up as the USC hitter began her ascent. Pickrell jumped.
The score was 3-3 in the fifth set. No. 24 ASU volleyball had come out strong in an attempt to upset the No. 1 team in the nation.
USC went to tap the ball up. Pickrell's hand went over the net. The refs ruled she touched the ball, awarding the point to USC.
Her immediate response couldn't be heard from the press table, but the yell was written on her lips: "What?"
She argued; head coach Jason Watson rose from the bench. The call stood, and an emotional ASU allowed USC to go on a 9-3 run and take control of the fifth set. No. 1 USC won (25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 14-25, 10-15).
The first three sets were some of the strongest ASU had played all season. Senior middle blocker Whitney Follette said the emotions were kept in check entering the match.
“I think we stayed really composed and we went in really focused,” she said. “We knew we just needed to focus on our side and take it one point at a time.”
ASU jumped to a 10-5 lead in set one after forcing USC into six attack errors. One came from senior outside hitter Samantha Bricio, who leads the conference in kills.
She had six kills in the first, but she had four errors as well.
Harker had 23 digs in the match; it was her second 20-dig match against Cal this season. She said mental composure was vital when defending Bricio.
“It’s really tough because you know what she is… but at the end of the day, she’s just like any other player,” Harker said.
In the second set, Bricio had eight kills and just one error, propelling USC to a victory. ASU took a 15-14 lead, but USC went on a scoring stretch.
During the Trojan’s push, Pickrell and freshman outside hitter Lexi MacLean both had an attacking error. Neither had strong games; Pickrell had five kills and six errors in the match, and MacLean had six of each.
Pickrell had 25 attempts. Bailey fronted the load, hitting 50 times.
She had 18 kills in the match, a season-high. Five of them came in the third set.
“I think Bre is worthy of an all-conference selection,” Watson said. “I don’t know if she’s going to get it, but the work that she’s done of late for us is, I think, worthy of some consideration.”
Tied at 15, senior middle blocker Mercedes Binns got involved. She received a well-placed pass from freshman setter Kylie Pickrell and killed it, then maneuvered around an off-target pass for another.
ASU won 25-18.
A long rally to open set four began to turn the tide. The Trojans had a pair of excellent digs, and after going back-and-forth four times, freshman outside hitter Lexi MacLean hit an error.
USC scored eight of the first nine points. Two were from sophomore opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie.
Abercrombie can use her range to control the ball with her southpaw hit. She had three kills on seven attempts in the fourth and hit .555 in the final two sets.
ASU hit five attacking errors in six attempts midway through the fourth, ultimately icing it and losing 25-14.
Set five changed when ASU went down 3-4 off the controversial call, and USC scored six of the next eight points. Bricio finished the match with a pair of kills, totaling 24 on the match. The Trojans pulled out a comeback victory, winning the set 15-10.
Despite losses to both USC and UCLA on Friday night, this weekend was one of ASU's best in Pac-12 play. Watson thinks his team can make a case for the tournament.
“Certainly this weekend we proved, perhaps more importantly just to each other, that there’s still a little bit of life in us,” he said.
Reach the reporter at logan.newman@asu.edu or follow @Logan_Newsman on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.
