by SEATTLE – A match the Huskies seemed on the verge of grasping multiple times eventually eluded them. 15th-ranked Washington was upset in five sets by Arizona State at Alaska Airlines Arena in front of 2,462 fans in a match that went for two hours and 45 minutes. The Dawgs lost at home for the first time in Pac-12 play and are now two games out of first in the Pac-12 race with a 6-3 record.
Washington dropped the first set, 21-25, then rallied with a 4-0 run from down 22-24 to take the second set, 26-24 and tie the match up from the verge of being down 0-2. With that momentum swing, the Huskies then had a 24-21 lead in the third set, but Arizona State got revenge for set two, going on a 5-0 run of its own for the 26-24 win and suddenly the Huskies were trailing again.
The Huskies pulled away for the first comfortable set win of the match in set four, winning 25-15, and UW then had a 5-0 run to open up an early 5-2 lead in the fifth. But again the Sun Devils answered with yet another 5-0 run right back to take the lead. The teams were then tied multiple times up until 12-12 in the fifth, but ASU took the final three points in a row to finish the upset.
The Sun Devils outhit the Huskies for the match, .219 to .187. UW has hit under .200 in two of its past three matches, losing both. Washington had a 13-7 edge in aces, but missed 16 serves, and the Dawgs made 29 attack errors, 13 of which were ASU blocks. Washington’s 84 digs was a season-high, 11 more than its next highest mark this season, but ASU outdid them with 89.
Claire Hoffman had the first 20-20 match of her career with 20 kills and a career-high 21 digs. Emoni Bush (Wei Wai Kum First Nation) also had a career-high 19 kills while Marin Grote had 12 kills and seven blocks. Sianna Houghton made a big impact with a career-high four aces. Lauren Bays had a season-high with 21 digs, while Ella May Powell had 54 assists and four blocks.
