(Photo: ASU Athletics)
Hawaii is one of the top teams in collegiate volleyball year in and year out. It’s an undisputed fact.
After tonight’s game between Arizona State and Hawaii, however, it might be the Sun Devils who have the edge right now.
Taking on the Rainbow Wahine in Honolulu is not an easy task for any team in the country, but tonight ASU pulled off a sweep in the clash between ranked teams. The No. 25 Sun Devils (2-0) were led by outside hitter Macey Gardner and her 16-kill effort, and 17th-ranked Hawaii (1-1) simply had no answer for her. Setter Bianca Arellano tallied 35 assists in the contest as well.
The game-clinching third set was back-and-forth, as neither team owned more than a 2-point lead at any point after the early goings (the latest 3-point lead was Hawaii being up 6-3). A balanced attack led the way for ASU as six different players recorded a kill in the final set, and the last four kills were all from different players.
The first set was driven by enthusiasm and energy as ASU leapt out to a lead and never looked back. In the second set, however, it was the Sun Devils who were trailing by 4 points late, 21-17, before surging behind three kills from Gardner to take the set, 25-23.
Game stats can be found here.
You can reach Trey Lanthier on Twitter @TreyLanthier or by email, at treylanthier@gmail.com.
