Sept. 23, 2000

Box Score

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Arizona State defeated Washington State 3-2 in Pac-10 volleyball action Saturday night at Bohler Gym, the first time the Sun Devils have won in Pullman since another 3-2 decision in 1994. The game scores were 8-15, 15-9, 15-12, 12-15, and 15-12, in the 2 1/2 hour match.

Arizona State is now 10-3 overall, 2-1 in Pacific-10 Conference play, while WSU drops to 9-4 overall and 0-4 in conference play.

ASU's Amanda Burbridge had a match-high 22 kills, and contributed 24 digs. Jami Coughlin had 15 kills and a match-high 25 digs. The Sun Devils had three more players in double-figure kills - Julie Leddy (18), Michelle Mortensen (13), and Kim Mehlhorn (11).

WSU was led by the 17 kills from both Trina Kightlinger and Holly Harris. Harris also had a match-high 13 blocks while Kightlinger stopped 10 at the net - both career-best totals. Chelsie Schafer and LaToya Harris each had 16 kills. Setter Kali Surplus had 70 assists.

The Cougars out-blocked ASU 23 to 16 and WSU's 42 block assists tied a school-record first set in 1992, also against the Sun Devils. WSU also out-hit ASU, .177 to .162, with the Cougars hitting for .326 and .328 in the two games they won.

WSU had firm control of the first game, allowing ASU only a two-point scoring run near the end of the game. Cougar senior Kightlinger set the tone at the net with six kills and five blocks in the WSU 15-8 game one win.

Game two saw WSU take a 6-0 lead but ASU made a four-point run to tie it up. It was knotted again at eight points when the wheels came off the Cougar wagon. WSU committed four hitting errors and a service error which allowed the Sun Devils to reel off six unanswered points. At first attempt at game point, Coughlin had a bad service which allowed Adrian Hankoff to tag a kill for WSU's 9th and last point. Kills from Julie Leddy and Burbridge gave Arizona State the 15-9 win.

ASU controlled game three early but the Cougars fought back for a 10-9 lead. Tied at 11, ASU got off three quick scores and were at game point. WSU fought back twice but couldn't get back in a scoring situation. A missed hit from LaToya Harris put ASU at 15 for the win.

The fourth game was tied at 8, and 9 points before WSU puled ahead 12-9. Cougar hitting errors allowed ASU to come back and knot it up again at 12. Kightlinger tallied back-to-back kills for the sideout and lead and then Zanda Bautre roofed the ASU front row and the Cougs went up 14-12. ASU's Leddy slammed a kill to stop the first game point attempt but Kightlinger and LaToya Harris teamed for a block and the sideout. On the second game point attempt, Kightlinger pushed the ball over and it landed before a Sun Devil could dig it up. Cougars win 15-12 and force game five.

ASU wasted no time in setting the pace with and climbed to a 10-4 lead in the rally-scoring fifth game. WSU then out-scored ASU six to two and closed the Sun Devil lead to 12-10. Michelle Mortensen came out of an ASU timeout and slammed a kill to inch forward 13-10. Bautre and Schafer found scoring power to close the ASU lead to one. In a very controversial call that stopped the frenetic play for several minutes, Kightlinger was called for an over the net violation which put Arizona State up 14-12. Mortensen's kill found the floor for ASU's final point and the match win.

"We played real well but it didn't end the way we wanted it to," Kightlinger said. "The games we lost, we weren't hitting so well but we blocked tonight, we passed better, our jump serves did really well. We need to work on being consistent. That was a heart-breaker tonight. I disagreed with the final call, but it's his (official Dale Goodwin) final decision. That didn't lose the game for us. We still had another chance but it was definitely bad timing. It stopped our momentum."

"If they lose like this, I don't like it, but I can sure handle it better than the way we lost last night," WSU coach Cindy Fredrick said. "They came out like a different team. They looked like completely different players and they played very, very, well. The thing we still have to do is get rid of our errors. We still make too many errors when it really matters. You look at the blocking last night and the blocking tonight and it's night and day. It tells me these kids can do it. We just have to play that way all the time."

Washington State travels to Washington (4-6, 0-4) Friday night, for a 7 p.m. match at the University Pavilion.

Arizona State (10-3, 2-1) def. Washington State (9-4, 0-4)
Game Scores: 8-15, 15-9, 15-12, 12-15, 15-12
STATISTICS:
KILLS: Burbridge (ASU) 22, Kightlinger (WSU) 17, H. Harris (WSU) 17.
ASSISTS: Anglin (ASU) 71, Surplus (WSU) 70.
SERVICE ACES: Melhorn (ASU) 2, WSU 0.
DIGS: Coughlin (ASU) 25, Schafer (WSU) 21.
BLOCKS: Mortensen (ASU) 9, H. Harris (WSU) 13.
Attendance: 1,250.