Senior Erica Wilson totaled 522 kills in only her first year as an outside hitter, placing her fifth all-time for ASU kills in a season. Wilson moved from middle blocker prior to the season. (Photo by Kyle Newman)It may not be the way the Sun Devils wanted their season to end, but it’s an ending that showcases the improvement of this year’s ASU volleyball made from last season.
It was a season that saw the Sun Devils rack up 20 wins (the most since 1993) and was capped off with a trip to the NCAA tournament (the program’s first since the 2006 season). The team showed much improvement from their 9-win season last year, thanks to contributions from ASU’s four freshmen and senior Erica Wilson’s high performance after going through a position change during the off-season.
The 2012 freshman class had been looked upon as the recruitment class to help shift the program into upward progression. When the four athletes arrived on campus, expectations were high and they were met.
Outside hitter Macey Gardner, in her first season, has already rewritten the record books at ASU. Gardner set the record for kills by a freshman in a single-season with 577. That total also has her placed second overall in single-season kills in ASU history.
Setter Allison Palmer also made a huge impact for the Sun Devils, racking up 1,482 assists on the year, which put her at most all-time for assists in a single season.
In her final season at ASU, Wilson switched from playing middle blocker to being an outside hitter in the offseason, and the change benefited the team. Wilson, in her first season as an outside hitter, racked up 522 kills on the season, the fifth-most in school history. She still blocked well, bringing her career block assist total to 297, fourth-most in school history.
The Sun Devils also received a lot from junior libero Stephanie Preach, who continued to be a vocal leader for ASU on the court. She tallied the most total digs in the Pac-12 with 619 on the season. The number moved her to fourth all-time in career digs at ASU.
The future looks bright for the ASU volleyball team, as they will only need to replace one starter next season. That will be easy for the Sun Devils, who have a deep roster as it is, and will be adding three freshmen for next year. Two of those freshmen are outside hitters, with one being a left side hitter and the other playing the outside position.
The year can be a huge stepping-stone for the program if it builds off the success of the season. In addition to the postseason tournament and 20-win season, the Sun Devils can credit both accomplishments to their non-conference and conference success.
ASU gained a lot of momentum early on due to a 7-2 non-conference record. When it came to their conference schedule, the Sun Devils notched nine wins. While the team dropped some games that most considered “winnable,” they made up those losses with wins over ranked opponents.
In his fifth season as the head coach of the Sun Devils, Jason Watson and his staff are beginning to see the success they’ve worked so hard to gain. With all the pieces beginning to fall into place for this program, next season could finish with ASU holding precious hardware at season’s end.
Reach the reporter at talopez3@asu.edu
