Volleyball Upsets No. 11 UCLA With 3-1 Victory
Junior Juliana Escobar registers 23 kills in victory.

Sept. 21, 2002

Box Score

TEMPE, Ariz. (http://www.TheSunDevils.com) -- Junior outside hitter Juliana Escobar recorded 23 kills and 13 digs as the Arizona State Sun Devils upset the 11th-ranked UCLA Bruins 3-1 Saturday night in Pac-10 volleyball action at Wells Fargo Arena. Game scores were 30-26, 28-30, 30-23, 30-26.

Arizona State improved to 5-2 on the season and is off to a 1-1 start in Pac-10 play. UCLA dropped to 0-2 in conference action and 7-5 overall in 2002. The victory improved ASU to 2-1 vs. ranked opponents this year and snapped a 12-match losing streak to the Bruins. ASU last recorded a victory over UCLA on Nov. 11, 1995 (3-0). ASU assistant coaches Christine Garner and Terri Cox were both members of that team. The victory also puts ASU one win away from No. 500 in the 30 years of Sun Devil volleyball.

"This was a great win that I really expected us to walk away with," said ASU head coach Patti Snyder-Park. "We really worked on the block all week and took advantage of the mismatches. We had some great performances from (Natalie) Harris and (Fernanda) Habiger that really sparked out team."

The Devils had four players reach double-digits kills behind a stellar .315 team hitting percentage. Escobar (Sobradinho DF, Brazil), who was the AVCA/NJCAA Player of the Year in 2001 at Barton County CC, led ASU by recording her fifth match of 20 or more kills this year and added her fifth double-double. She added two service aces in the win for a total of 25.0 points.

In a twist of events that has seen the Devils use two setters, senior Habiger (Cruzeira, Brazil) was a big key to ASU's victory. Habiger registered 25 assists, while adding a career-high four total blocks and four kills. Junior Cheryl Anglin (Queen Creek) led ASU with 30 assists, moving to within 115 of second place in the ASU career record books.

"Habiger was the difference in tonight's match," added Snyder-Park. "She played great off the bench and really adds an excitement level to this team when she is on the court. The competition between Cheryl and Fernanda will be a huge advantage to this team."

Junior middle blocker Jodi Smith (St. Johns) registered 12 kills (12-3-23) for the second night in a row while hitting at a .391 clip. Senior Julia Leddy (Mesa) had another strong night, contributing 11 kills and hitting .409 for the match. Sophomore opposite hitter Alicia Akporiaye (Tucson) notched her third career double-double with 11 kills and a career-high-tying 17 digs. Junior libero Courtney Blocher (Scottsdale) anchored the ASU defense with a season-high 20 digs.

The Bruins, who fell 3-1 to Arizona Friday night in Tucson, were led by the 19 kills from outside hitter Lauren Fendrick. Brittany Ringel, Cira Wright, Brynn Murphy and Heather Cullen all recorded 10 kills in the loss.

The Sun Devils return to action next Friday when they host No. 15 Arizona at 7 p.m. in Wells Fargo Arena.

--Sun Devil Volleyball--


Arizona State Women's Volleyball


Printer-friendly format Email this article


feedback

Copyright

ASU Volleyball Week In Review
Sun Devils bounce back with victory over No. 11 UCLA after suffering loss to No. 1 USC.

Sept. 22, 2002

2002 Current Season Statistics

Reviewing Arizona State Volleyball
Arizona State University (5-2 overall, 1-1 Pac-10)

Match Results From Last Week (1-1 vs. USC and UCLA):
lost to #1 USC, 3-0 (20-30, 22-30, 27-30)
def #11 UCLA, 3-1 (30-26, 28-30, 30-23, 30-26)

What's Up Next For ASU Volleyball:
vs. #15 Arizona -- Sept. 27 -- 7 p.m. -- Wells Fargo Arena (Tempe, Ariz.)
at Washington -- Oct. 3 -- 7 p.m. -- Bank of America Arena (Seattle, Wash.)
at #20 Washington State -- Oct. 4 -- 7 p.m. -- Bohler Gym (Pullman, Wash.)

Notes on ASU Volleyball:
The Sun Devils opened their 2002 home and Pac-10 season with a very successful 1-1 record against a pair of nationally ranked opponents... ASU lost to No. 1 USC (3-0), but rebounded to defeat 11th-ranked UCLA 3-1... the win over the Bruins snapped a 12-match losing streak against UCLA, dating back to 1995 when the Devils swept the season series... ASU current assistant coaches Christine Garner and Terri Cox were outside hitters on that team...head coach Patti Snyder-Park, who is in her 14th and final season, now has a career 206-171 career record... the Devils are now 2-1 against ranked opponents this year and will face a ranked team in three of their next four matches... with one more victory, ASU will reach No. 500 in the programs 30th anniversary... ASU faced rival Arizona this Friday at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena... the Devils lead the all-time series 33-29, but are just 1-9 in the last 10 matches vs. the Wildcats... ASU's last win vs. the Wildcats in Tempe came in 1996... junior outside hitter Juliana Escobar had an off night vs. USC (5 kills), but came back with a 23-kill, 13-dig performance to help lead the Devils to victory over UCLA... Escobar now has 20 or more kills and has recorded a double-double in five of ASU's seven matches... her 24 service aces (0.83 per game) are already only three off ASU's season leader from last year (Jami Coughlin, 27)... senior middle blocker Julia Leddy averaged 2.29 kpg in the two matches and is now second on the team in hitting percentage at .357... the Devils have started using two setters, with senior Fernanda Habiger sparking the offense with her athleticism in the front row... Habiger, a teammate of Escobar's at Barton County CC, had seven blocks and 31 assists in the two matches... junior setter Cheryl Anglin is averaging 10.19 assists per game and is now within 115 assists of second place in the ASU career record books... sophomore opposite hitter Alicia Akporiaye tied her career high with 17 digs vs. UCLA and recorded her third career double-double by adding 11 kills... junior libero Courtney Blocher leads the team with 3.17 dpg and recorded a season high with 20 digs vs. UCLA... sophomore outside hitter Natalie Harris hit a career-high .400 (9-1-20) vs. UCLA... the ASU-UCLA match featured 29 tie scores and 15 lead changes in the four games.

Pac-10 Player of the Week Nomination:
Jodi Smith (MB, RS-Jr., St. Johns, Ariz.):
Junior middle blocker Jodi Smith was a key to ASU's 1-1 opening weekend of Pac-10 play in 2002... ASU's only two-sport female athlete (also a high jumper who finished third in the high jump in the Pac-10 last year), Smith averaged 3.43 kpg and hit .500 in the two matches against #1 USC and #11 UCLA... the redshirt junior had 12 kills in each match, hitting .647 (12-1-17) vs. the Women of Troy and .391 (12-3-23) in the Devils' 3-1 win over UCLA... for the season Smith is third on the team with a 2.38 kpg average and leads the squad with a .358 hitting percentage.




Arizona State Women's Volleyball


Printer-friendly format Email this article


feedback

Copyright

congrat to the ladies for such a great win!!