Aug. 27, 2011

Box Score  |  Match Report

TEMPE, Ariz. - Ashley Kastl had 16 kills to lead four players in double figures as Arizona State fought from behind to claim a 27-29, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on day two of the ASU Sheraton Classic.

The Panthers (1-1) had more kills (62-59) than the Sun Devils (2-0) and also outblocked Arizona State, 8-7. But ASU used some key runs and a balanced attack to pull out the victory.

"Our goal was to put pressure on them and we did - we won the first set," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "When we didn't put pressure on them was the last five points of each set after that. We, for some reason, backed off and that's when you have to surge through. Really, that was the difference. The beauty is that we played really well for most of the match and there were a lot of bright spots there."

Kerri Schuh led Milwaukee with 19 kills and 11 digs, while Elizabeth Egerer added 14 kills. The Panthers also saw a pair of freshmen step forward on offense, as Hannah Blanchard tallied 11 kills and Julie Kolinske collected nine.

Morgan Potter sparked the Panthers' defense in the back row with 21 digs.

Erica Wilson added 14 kills, Danica Mendivil 11 and Nora Tuioti-Mariner 10 for Arizona State, which also had four players reach double figures in digs.

Milwaukee pulled out a thrilling win in the first set. The Panthers looked like they might take control on a couple of occasions, building leads of 8-5 and 15-11 in the early going. ASU fought back to tie the set at 21 before Milwaukee restored a 24-22 advantage on a team block. The Sun Devils successfully fought off a pair of set-points to extend the match, then fought off two more before claiming a 27-26 advantage on an ace by Stephanie Preach. But the Panthers, or more specifically Schuh, responded with the next three points to claim the win. The winning point came as Schuh cleaned up a Sun Devil overpass, putting Milwaukee ahead in the match.

The second set was also tight but ASU was able to hang on and even things up. The Sun Devils jumped out to an early 7-2 lead before Milwaukee scored five in a row to tie the frame at 7. The teams traded runs from there, with ASU building a 12-8 advantage and UWM countering with four-straight to make it 12-all. ASU again surged ahead 19-14 but Milwaukee pulled back within 22-21 on a kill by Egerer. The Panthers were still within 23-22 on a kill by Schuh from the back row, with another Schuh kill making it 24-23. But, a kill by Tuioti-Mariner provided the final point for the Sun Devils.

ASU used a big surge to win the third set. The Panthers were up 10-9 after a block by Julie Kolinske and a kill by Egerer. The frame was still tied at 13 before the Sun Devils made their run, riding the strong serving of Wilson to build a 19-14 advantage. The Panthers did pull within 23-20 following a pair of ASU errors, and a kill by Kolinske had Milwaukee within 24-21. But Wilson answered with a kill of her own to finish things off, putting ASU up 2-1 in the match.

The Sun Devils pulled out a tight win in the fourth set to claim the match. The Sun Devils went out to early leads of 6-2 and 11-8 before the Panthers rallied to tie the frame at 12 on a kill by Blanchard. ASU was able to restore a two-point advantage but Milwaukee again fought back, tying things at 19 on a block by Blanchard and Rachel Neuberger. Then ASU took the lead for good on the next point and used two kills by Alexis Pinson and a final kill by Kastl to finish things off.

The Panthers will wrap up play in the tournament Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PST (7:30 p.m. Milwaukee time) against Denver.