Wilson blazes volleyball past UCR to close ASU Sheraton Invite
A revitalized ASU Volleyball team hit the court Saturday afternoon as they closed out the ASU Sheraton Invitational as ASU hit a .282, powered by Erica Wilson's break-out performance of nine kills for a .583 average as ASU swept the UC Riverside Highlanders in the final match of the weekend, 25-21, 25-16 and 25-20. The win places ASU at 4-5 on the season as UC Riverside drops to 1-8.
The Sun Devils busted open the door in the first set with Sarah Reaves leading the way on offense as she put five on the floor to bolster ASU's attack percentage to a well-oiled .353 on the set. The net was where the party was at though as ASU posted three blocks as a team with Malia Marquardt and Erica Wilson both putting up two block assists and pushing the UCR offense to make mistakes as ASU took the lead with a 25-21 win.
Set two saw Erica Wilson jump in on the offensive melee as she matched Sarah Reaves' five kills as she nearly swung out of the gym with a .571 attack percentage that UCR's defense couldn't keep up with as the Sun Devils rolled into the break with a 25-16 win and up 2-0 in the match.
Three was proved to be a magic number for the Sun Devils on the day as that's all they needed to finish off the win over the Highlanders, all the while looking fired up from first point to last. Malia Marquardt and Ashley Kastl stepped up in the set, putting down four kills apiece keeping UCR off-balance with attacks from all angles to give ASU their first sweep on the season with a 25-20 win.
The win wraps ASU's second home tournament with a third on the horizon for the Sun Devils next weekend as they set to host the ASU Sheraton Tournament. Coming to town for the event are Michigan, Utah and Pacific with action starting Friday, Sept. 17 and through the 18th.