The ASU volleyball team kept its season alive Thursday, defeating College of Charleston 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Sun Devils (16-14) will now meet No. 7 Florida (29-2) in the second round at 5 p.m. today in Gainesville, Fla.
In its first tournament match since 2002, ASU put together one of its best statistical performances of the season. The Sun Devils hit .293 in the match, a mark they topped only twice in 29 previous matches this year.
The middle blocker combination of junior Staci Smith and senior Tierra Burnley led the attack. Smith had 18 kills and hit .536 while Burnley hit .371 and finished with a career-high 16 kills.
"We thought going in, with the way College of Charleston blocked that our middle would have a good night, and it turned out that Tierra and Staci both had great nights," coach Brad Saindon said.
Burnley said she was just excited for the opportunity to play in the tournament, but she added that the team still wants more.
"We worked so hard this year, and we made it our goal to make it here," she said. "But now that we're here, we know that it's not enough. We want to win the whole thing."
In addition, junior libero Sydney Donahue set a new Pac-10 single-season record in the victory, as her 24 digs gave her 719 on the year, surpassing the old mark of 708 set by UCLA's Chrissie Zartman in 2004.
"That's an unbelievable record," Saindon said. "I'm proud of her and I'm happy for her. She's a great defensive player, and I'm happy she's on our team."
ASU had to play the match with sophomore outside hitter Margie Giordano limited by a sprained ankle. After starting 28 regular-season matches, Giordano came off the bench and could only play in the back row Thursday, though she did have 10 digs in the win.
In her place was true freshman Paige Mittelstaedt, who had eight kills and three blocks in just her second career start.
"I thought she did fine," Saindon said of Mittelstaedt. "She got some kills and some blocks, and she didn't make many errors. I was pretty happy with her."
The opening game was a close battle early, but ASU jumped out in front by four, at 15-11. The Cougars then battled back with a 9-3 run to take a 20-18 lead.
Trailing 24-23, the Sun Devils ran off five unanswered points and ended the game on a 7-2 run to win 30-26.
In the second, College of Charleston led early with the score at 8-5, but a 10-4 run gave ASU a 15-11 lead. Again, the Cougars answered, using a 5-0 run of their own to get back in front.
With the score tied at 17, the Sun Devils took command with five straight points and cruised the rest of the way, going on to win the game 30-23 and take a 2-0 lead into halftime.
However, College of Charleston, which was making its third straight appearance in the tournament, did not go away quietly. ASU led 16-10 in the third, but a 7-0 Cougars run gave them the lead.
The two teams battled back and forth from there until ASU had a match point with a 29-28 lead, but College of Charleston won the next three points to win 31-29 and extend the match.
The Sun Devils did not let another chance to seal the match slip past them, as they used a 7-1 run in the fourth to take a 19-13 lead and never looked back. Smith had nine kills in the game, as ASU won 30-20 and booked its spot in the second round.
"There are a whole lot of athletes that never get into the NCAA tournament, and there are a whole lot more that never win once they get in," Saindon said. "We got our first win, and I think that's terrific for our program. I'm really excited."
They now prepare to face Florida, which swept Florida A&M 3-0 in its first-round match Thursday night.
The Gators come into the match having won 21 straight matches. They have not lost on their home court this season.
"They look really good, and they are going to be a handful," Saindon said. "We're going to play our hardest. Every tournament has a Cinderella, and maybe we're it this year."
Reach the reporter at: Matthew.Storey@asu.edu.
