Sun Devils, Macey Gardner roll, take down UNLV

(Photo: Sun Devil Volleyball)

Arizona State volleyball continued their unblemished season with a straight-sets sweep of the UNLV Rebels Saturday.

The Rebels hung with ASU point for point at the beginning of both the first and second sets, but the Sun Devils went on 6-1 and 9-1 runs respectively to pull away in both sets.

Both runs were sparked by sophomore Macey Gardner. The outside hitter had another dominant performance, notching 22 kills on 42 attempts with only 3 errors. That makes three straight matches with at least 19 kills for Gardner.

The third set was not highlighted by any huge runs, but instead, Arizona State imposed their will and pulled away again midway through.

UNLV hurt themselves as well with a dismal overall hitting percentage of .048 as compared to Arizona State’s percentage of .346.

ASU’s block, a point of emphasis for head coach Jason Watson, continues to improve as the Sun Devils totalled eight blocks in the match. Those blocks came on 16 block assists (when multiple players are up to block, leading to a successful block), and that comes from well-formed, synchronized blockers at the net.

Freshman BreElle Bailey contributed with a double-digit kill effort of her own, racking up 10 on 21 attempts.

The Sun Devils have yet to drop a set in five matches, and will look to continue that streak against home-team Gonzaga later Saturday at 4 p.m.

Check back here for the full recap with quotes and reactions from Watson and players.

You can contact Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com

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