Junior outside hitter Macey Gardner spikes a ball over the net for a point during the Residence Inn Challenge against Idaho State University on Friday, Sept. 5, 2014, at Wells Fargo Arena. ASU won the game 3-1. (Photo by Sawyer Hardebeck)ASU women's volleyball coach Jason Watson called his team's 2013 offense "The Macey Show," referring to junior outside hitter Macey Gardner.
Since she arrived at ASU three years ago, Gardner has been the focal point of the team's offense.
In her freshman season, Gardner became the third freshman ever to lead the Pac-12 in kills with 577. That marked a school record as well.
The following year, Gardner recorded 506 kills which was fourth-most in the conference.
“You want to kill a ball,” Gardner said simply. “When you’re set, you just do your best with that set, with that ball.”
Her nickname isn't just about her dominant stats — it's a testament to how much the team relied on her last season.
In a three-set match against Gonzaga, Gardner had a whopping 52 attempts. In four sets against Washington, she had 74. In the season's final game against UA, Gardner had 84 attempts in four sets.
All told in 2013, Gardner had about one-third of the team's kills. Opponents knew ASU was going to set her and still couldn't stop her attacks.
“I love the situation when there’s high intensity, there’s stress and … the win is at stake,” Gardner said. “I love that.”
“The Macey Show” is in a transition phase this year. For the first time since Gardner arrived on campus, ASU has other reliable options.
Sophomore outside hitters BreElle Bailey and Kizzy Willey are proving they are ready to take a load off Gardner, and junior setter Bianca Arellano has made it a point to get the middles more involved in the offense.
“We have so many great hitters,” Gardner said. “We have great athletes on the floor. We’re trying to use that (and) have a balanced offense.”
Nonetheless, Gardner has kept her kill tally high while decreasing her hitting errors. She has the fourth-most kills in the conference to this point (209) and improved her hitting percentage. This year, it currently rests at .301. In her freshman year, Gardner hit only .189.
Last Wednesday against UA, she set a personal record with 30 kills. She got 27 two nights later against USC.
Watson commented on her consistency, and said it went beyond the high hitting percentage.
“I think what’s even quite remarkable about that is that everyone knows that she’s going to get the ball,” Watson said. “She’s been efficient, and she’s been getting points, and she’s been doing it — not surprising people, they know who she is, and they know how much we set her.”
Gardner didn’t even start playing until she was 12.
As a home-schooled student, Gardner joined a club team before going to Gilbert High School and playing on the school volleyball team. She said club offered advantages in terms of being more competitive and having a wider range of competition.
“Club (volleyball) is national, so you’re seeing girls from all over the country,” she said.
This has helped her in college matches, recognizing opponents and their game styles.
Club Red, her club team, proved to be a blessing for the future: she played with fellow future Sun Devils Arellano and junior middle blocker Andi Lowrance.
On-court statistics are important, but Gardner’s impact has gone beyond that. She helped convince Arellano to join ASU. Arellano attended University of Tennessee but was looking to transfer after the fall season her freshman year.
“When I was thinking of transferring, I definitely contacted Macey,” Arellano said. “When I came, she just welcomed me along with the team and the coaching staff.”
The two escalate each other’s games.
“A lot of it has to do with how well we connect and our chemistry on the court,” Arellano said. “All people kind of have that player where you have to rely on them and stuff, and Macey’s the perfect person to handle that.”
2014 season in photos
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