Sept. 18, 2005
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (www.TheSunDevils.com) -- Arizona State sophomore middle blocker Staci Smith recorded career highs with 14 kills and seven blocks to lead the Sun Devils to a 3-1 victory over Tulane on Sunday afternoon to conclude the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic. Game scores were 30-25, 30-16, 29-31, 30-23 in favor of the Sun Devils.
The tournament was originally scheduled to be played in New Orleans, but due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Tulane volleyball program is housed on the Texas A&M campus. ASU's fourth victory in the last five matches evened its season record at 5-5 to conclude non-conference play. Tulane fell to 1-2 on the season and 0-2 all-time vs. the Sun Devils.
Smith (Gresham, Ore.) hit at a blistering .520 rate with only one error on 25 attacks. Her 14 kills bested her previous high of 13 set during her freshman year vs. Washington State and her seven blocks tied a career high set earlier this year. She also had one service ace for a team-high 19.0 points.
Junior outside hitter Nina Reeves (Gilbert, Ariz.) chipped in her first double-double of the year and 15th of her career with 12 kills and 15 digs. Sophomore libero Sydney Donahue (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) continued her stellar defensive season, leading the team with 31 digs. Donahue now has recorded double-digits in digs in all 10 matches this season (6.59 dpg) and has three matches of 30 or more digs.
Sophomore defensive specialist Alison Lund (Bowie, Md.) added a career-high 12 digs and freshman outside hitter Margie Giordano had 10 digs. Senior setter Giovana Melo (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil) led ASU with 38 assists.
ASU out-hit the Green Wave .259 to .165 and recorded a season-high 15.0 blocks. Led by seven from Smith and six from sophomore middle blocker Colette Meek (Sherwood Park, Alberta), five Devils recorded three or more blocks. For the second straight match, ASU played without leading outside hitter Nicole Morton (sprained ankle).
Tulane was led by 23 kills from Sara Radosevic and 19 from Sara Thorson. Libero Kelli Dickson led all players with 32 digs.
The Sun Devils start Pac-10 play next weekend hosting Oregon (Fri., Sept. 23) and Oregon State (Sat., Sept. 24) this weekend at Wells Fargo Arena. All ASU home Pac-10 matches start at 7 p.m.
--Sun Devil Volleyball--