No. 10 Huskies Outlast Sun Devils In Four

Friday, October 18

Seattle, WA

7:00 PM

University of Washington

14-3, 5-2Pac-12

Arizona State

10-8, 2-5Pac-12

Arizona State

Washington

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

October 18, 2019 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score PDF

By: UW Athletic Communications

SEATTLE – Wins never come easy in the Pac-12 and the 10th-ranked Huskies persevered through another intense battle tonight and came out on top, 20-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-22, over Arizona State at Alaska Airlines Arena. Washington (14-3, 5-2 Pac-12) had a season-high 84 digs tonight and Kara Bajema and Samantha Drechsel combined for 40 kills in the victory.

Washington's previous season-high for digs was 76 but the Sun Devils (10-8, 2-5 Pac-12) played very clean and made the Huskies earn every point. Bajema set a new career-high with 19 digs to go along with her match-high 21 kills, which came on another career-high in attacks with 66.

Senior Shayne McPherson also had 19 digs, sophomore Shannon Crenshaw had a career-high 16 digs, and sophomore Ella May Powell had 16 to go with a season-high 48 assists. Powell also tied her career-high with six blocks and added four kills.

Drechsel was steady all night with 19 kills and hit .333 and Lauren Sanders also provided a big offensive lift with 12 kills, hitting .391, and adding seven blocks.

Shayne how did you ... ?????? and then the BLOCK!!

What an amazing #PointHuskies pic.twitter.com/yvsVer4f8j
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) October 19, 2019

Washington hit .238 for the match while ASU finished at a .214 clip. The Huskies had an edge in total kills, 63-53, aces (5-1), and blocks (12.0 to 5.0).

"Arizona State kept a lot of balls off the ground. I thought they were outstanding," said Head Coach Keegan Cook. "They also didn't give us many free points. I think they only hit five balls out of bounds the whole match. I think the third set we had to kill twenty balls, so an impressive, clean match by them.

"But a lot of big performances for us. Lauren Sanders on the slide, which is important for us. Kara carried a heavy load, 21 kills on 66 swings, really good in the second and third sets especially. Shannon Crenshaw with two kills late that were big, Avie Niece with a big block late, and then Samantha Drechsel once again being really consistent from start to finish in that match. So I thought we were tough today."

Late runs in the second, third, and fourth sets were the difference. The Huskies won five straight points from 20-20 in the second set to even the match, won five straight again from down 20-21 in the third, and broke a 19-19 tie in the fourth set with a 4-0 run to take control.

UP NEXT: Washington wraps its four-match homestand on Sunday against Arizona. First serve is 12 noon and the match will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.

SET 1: Washington came out with the first three points of the match on a pair of kills by Sanders and a Sun Devil error. Bajema blasted one out of the back row and Drechsel got her first kill on the right for a 6-3 lead. ASU scored four straight to take its first lead at 6-7, but Drechsel ended that with a big swing from the left. A solo block by Sanders tied it up at 9-9. Crenshaw's first kill put UW back up at 12-11. The teams continued trading sideouts with Bajema and Crenshaw picking up more kills, and Drechsel going high hands for 15-14. An amazing point was saved by a Diving one-handed punch over the net by McPherson and then Sanders and Drechsel stuffed the next ASU swing for 17-16, forcing a Sun Devils timeout. Arizona State answered with three in a row out of the timeout before missing serve for 18-19. Sanders and Powell then teamed for a block to tie it at 19-all, but Arizona State scored the next three in a row to force a Husky timeout at 19-22. Bajema unloaded in serve-receive for a kill out of the break but ASU answered. Washington made two straight errors to drop the first set, 20-25.

Arizona State outhit the Huskies in the first set, .262 to .225. Bajema and Drechsel had four kills apiece and the Huskies had three blocks to none for ASU.

SET 2: A 3-0 Husky run on kills from Bajema and Sanders and an ASU double hit made it 6-4 Dawgs. Drechsel found the deepest corner crosscourt from the left for a 10-9 lead. Again the teams continued going back and forth with no team leading by more than a point. ASU crept up by one point but Niece put one away from Powell for 16-16. Crenshaw floated an ace to the back line for an 18-17 lead and the Sun Devils took time. Arizona State scored twice to go back on top by one before missing serve for 19-19. Sanders solo roofed one to swing the Huskies back up one. A Sun Devil miss made it 22-20 Dawgs and ASU used its last timeout. A messy play was cleaned up with a tap down above the net from Bajema, and then Bajema blasted a sharp angle crosscourt to get the Huskies to set point at 24-20. A block by Powell and Sanders ended it on the next point, as the Huskies won five in a row to close out the set and even up the match.

Bajema and Drechsel both had five kills in the set as the Huskies hit .175 but held ASU to .154 thanks in part to four blocks.

SET 3: Drechsel pounded out two more kills early in the third set as the Huskies trailed 3-5. Arizona State scored in transition after a soft block to push its lead to 4-8 before Powell dumped one back over her head for a point. McPherson bump set one to Drechsel on the right for a kill and 7-9. Bajema found the top of a Sun Devils' noggin that ricocheted into the seats for 10-11 Another in a series of marathon rallies was put away high and deep by Bajema to get the Huskies back even at 11-11. Bajema went up the line from the left and then Drechsel fired two straight aces to get the Huskies a 15-12 edge and prompt a Sun Devils timeout. ASU scored out of the break but UW answered with a Sanders slide kill and then Bajema finished another Powell set in transition for 17-13 and ASU used its last timeout. The Huskies won a challenge reversal as the initial block touch call was overturned and then Maria Bogomolova notched her first ace to make it 19-14. The Huskies went for another challenge but this one didn't go their way and then ASU scored three more to get right back into the set at 20-19, where UW called for time. ASU won another lengthy rally to tie it and then UW misfired out of bounds to go down 20-21. Drechsel tooled the block to finally end the 6-0 run, and then McPherson covered a tip and Bajema converted to put UW back up, 22-21. Bajema continued hammering from the left, ending the next two points to get the Huskies to set point at 24-21, and then McPherson bump set to Drechsel who went off the block and down as once again the Huskies closed the set with a 5-0 run to win it, 25-21.

The Huskies outhit the Sun Devils, .333 to .300, in the set with Bajema pounding out nine kills and Drechsel getting six on 15 swings without an error to hit .400. Powell added seven digs in the third set.

SET 4: Crenshaw picked up where she left off in the third set with an ace on the first point of the fourth. Bajema crushed two more kills and Sanders and Powell teamed for a block for 4-2. Three straight from ASU was snapped by Sanders with a slide kill for 5-5. Powell finished on two for 7-7. Two points later she punched one deep for another kill off a tight pass. McPherson bumped one to Drechsel after a diving Powell dig and she finished for 10-9. Leading 12-10, the Huskies made three consecutive hitting errors to give ASU a lead again at 12-13. Drechsel terminated crosscourt from the right for 14-15. Sanders finished another incredibly long rally for 15-16 and an ASU error tied it up again at 16-all. Powell set Sanders on an inside slide for a kill and a 17-16 lead, and then Sanders and Powell teamed up for a rejection for 18-16 and ASU took timeout. UW missed serve and then made an attacking error and it was even again at 18. Sanders got the lead back with a kill from Powell but ASU answered in serve-receive. Crenshaw tipped for a kill for 20-19 Dawgs. On the next point she spun one offspeed up the line for another point for 21-19 and ASU used its last timeout. Out of the break, Drechsel went hard off the block and out on UW's side for 22-19. Niece and Cresnhaw then teamed up for a stuff for a fourth straight point. A Drechsel kill got the Huskies to match point at 24-20. The Sun Devils saved two but then send a serve into the net to end it, 25-22.

Washington outhit Arizona State, .205 to .149, in the final set, with five big kills from Sanders and 13 assists from Powell. Bajema and McPherson each had seven digs in the set.