Sun Devils dismantle No. 2 Texas

(Photo: Sun Devil Volleyball)

In the biggest shock of the young NCAA volleyball season, unranked Arizona State defeated No. 2 Texas in straight sets.

The Sun Devils’ win came on the heels of their first loss of the season earlier in the day against Illinois.

This marks one of the most prolific wins in school history, as this is only the second time ASU has beaten a team ranked in the top two since rankings started in 1996 (No. 2 Cal, 2010).

The match itself was all in the Sun Devils’ favor, as they were able to hold off every Texas comeback attempt in each set. While each set was narrow, ASU never trailed by more than two points in any of the three sets.

After a relatively quiet weekend, outside hitter Macey Gardner sprung to life in this game, recording 17 kills* in the match.

Star outside hitter Haley Eckerman had 21 kills* for the Longhorns, but nobody else behind her was able to record more than seven kills.

This is Texas’s second loss of the year, as they also dropped their season-opener against Hawaii (in Honolulu, HI). The team had been on a four-game win streak before running into the Sun Devils.

ASU will next play at home against Cal Poly. It will be their home-opener on Friday, Sept. 20.

You can reach Trey Lanthier on Twitter @TreyLanthier or by email treylanthier@gmail.com.

*WARNING: CBSSports.com’s stats may be factually incorrect. Check back later for official statistics.

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