Nov. 25, 2001
BERKELEY, Calif. -- Sophomore middle blocker Mandy Stephens recorded a career-high 19 kills and hit .412 to lead four Sun Devils with double-digits in kills, helping the Arizona State Volleyball team close out the 2001 season in style, defeating the University of California-Berkeley in five games Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion.
The 3-2 (30-28, 25-30, 30-23, 23-30, 15-10) victory by ASU improved their overall season record to 10-16, securing a 10+ win season for the fifth year in a row and the 29th of the program's 30 years. ASU finishes 2001 with a 5-13 Pac-10 record. ASU also beat Cal 3-1 on Nov. 17. The Golden Bears ended their season with a 10-18 record and just below ASU in the Pac-10 standings at 3-15.
Stephens, who grew up in nearby Napa, Calif., destroyed her previous career-high of 11 kills with her 19 Sunday. Hitting .425, Stephens made only five errors on 34 attacks. She also added two block assists and tallied a career-high 20.0 total points. She also finished her career with 1,360 career kills, ranking sixth in ASU history.
Senior outside hitter Jami Coughlin (Glendale, Ariz.) ended her illustrious career in grand fashion, notching her 16th double-double of the year, and the 58th of her career, with 10 kills and 22 digs. Coughlin will lead the Pac-10 in digs this season with a 3.98 per game average (the second time in her career she will lead the Pac-10 in digs) and ends her career second in the ASU record books and fourth in the Pac-10 annals with 1,528 career digs.
In addition to the solid performances from Stephens and Coughlin, junior middle blocker Julia Leddy (Mesa, Ariz.) added 15 kills with a .462 hitting percentage and sophomore outside hitter Kim Mehlhorn (Tempe, Ariz.) capped off a stellar season with 17 kills and six digs. Mehlhorn, who led ASU during Pac-10 play with 3.83 kpg, and finished the 2001 season with 3.42 kpg/2.76 dpg averages, recorded double-digits in kills in 18 matches this year, including 14 of ASU's last 15 matches.
The Golden Bears were led by 15 kills each from Camille Leffall and Leah Young. Reena Pardiwals contributed a match-best 24 digs in the losing effort.
Losing only Coughlin to graduation, head coach Patti Snyder-Park, who now has 201 career wins in her 13-year ASU career, returns 11 of her 12 letterwinners for next year. For complete season results and statistics, please visit www.TheSunDevils.com and point your web browser to the volleyball home page.
--Sun Devil Volleyball--