ASU Sports

Diving dominates tower to conclude Wildcat Invitational

ckussala — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:39:26 -0700

The Arizona State diving team concluded a successful weekend at the Wildcat Diving Invitational with a Sun Devil taking first on both the men and women's 10-meter platform. 2008 Olympians Elina Eggers and Riley McCormick proved they live up to the hype as they each earned wins on the tower.

Eggers, who was a finalist on the 10-meter at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, dominated the tower to win by almost 50 points. Eggers scored 284.50 points to easily take first. The score surpassed the NCAA standard by 20 over points and has now qualified for the NCAA Zone E Championships in all four events. ,

Like Eggers, McCormick handily won the platform. The Canadian freshman was victorious by over 60 points as he scored 404.20 to secure a victory and an NCAA "A" standard.

Freshman Ciara Gellar, a former Level 10 gymnast, finished fourth with 227.60 points, good enough for an NCAA consideration score. Chris Pasanella placed ninth on the tower with 224.50 points.

The diving team will head to coach Mark Bradshaw's alma mater next week at the Ohio State Invitational.

Wrestling falls at OU

ckussala — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:35:57 -0700

The No. 20 Arizona State University wrestling team’s three lightest weight classes secured wins to stake the Sun Devils to an early 11-0 lead, but the team was unable to win any more matches as the host No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners came back with seven victories in a row to take the team win, 24-11, Sunday afternoon inside McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla. The loss, ASU’s second in a row, sends the Sun Devils to a 2-2 overall record while the Sooners improved to 2-0 on the year.

The dual began at 125 pounds with No. 3 Anthony Robles dominating Justin Forrest with a 16-0 technical fall in 4:17. Robles took Forrest down just 10 seconds into the match and turned him three times for nine more points to take an 11-0 lead into the second stanza. There, the two wrestlers started neutral before Robles took down Forrest and scored another three-point near-fall for the tech fall, his third of the season.

Leading 5-0, the Sun Devils added to the lead as Ben Ashmore rebounded from a tough loss on Friday night with a 7-5 decision over Alex Ekstrom at 133 pounds. Ashmore took down his foe and held a 2-1 lead through one before Ekstrom chose bottom and escaped to tie the match at 2-2. Another Ashmore takedown and Ekstrom escape made it 4-3 Ashmore through two before an Ashmore escape to open the third made it 5-3. Ekstrom tied it with a takedown of his own with 1:18 remaining, but Ashmore escaped and added a point for 2:03 of riding time for the final score.

For the second time this weekend, No. 5 Chris Drouin had a tough match at 141 pounds as he faced a Top 20 foe and, for the second time, Drouin won a decision, this time defeating No. 17 Zack Bailey, 3-1. The deciding points came in the first period as Drouin used a takedown with just eight seconds remaining in the period for a 2-0 lead. Both men used escapes to open the second and third periods to end the scoring with Drouin on top.

Despite the 11-0 lead, the Sooners went on to win the remaining seven matches, including five decisions that were decided by four or fewer points with two being decided by a single point. ASU maintained its lead through the second trio of matches as Vicente Varela dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 5 Kyle Terry at 149, Te Edwards lost a 17-10 decision to Shane Vernon at 157 and Kyle Edwards dropped a 5-2 decision to Tyler Caldwell at 165.

Leading 11-9, the Sun Devils tried to hold their edge in the overall dual, but Eric Starks was unable to upset No. 9 Jeff James, dropping a 4-3 decision at 174 for his first loss of the year and a 12-11 OU lead. From there, Jake Meredith fell at 184 to Erich Schmidtke, 3-1, Anthony Pike was pinned in 47 seconds by No. 7 Eric Lapotsky at 197 and Erik Nye lost a 3-2 decision to No. 13 Nathan Fernandez at heavyweight.

ASU will play host to its first of five home duals next Sunday as local rival Grand Canyon comes to Wells Fargo Arena for a 2 p.m. dual.

#12 Oklahoma def. #20 Arizona State, 24-11
McCasland Field House • Norman, Okla.
125 - #3 Anthony Robles (AS) tech fall Justin Forrest, 16-0
133 - Ben Ashmore (AS) dec. Alex Ekstrom, 7-5
141 - #5 Chris Drouin (AS) dec. #17 Zack Bailey, 3-1
149 - #5 Kyle Terry (OU) dec. Vicente Varela, 4-0
157 - Shane Vernon (OU) dec. Te Edwards, 17-10
165 - Tyler Caldwell (OU) dec. Kyle DeBerry, 5-2
174 - #9 Jeff James (OU) dec. Eric Starks, 4-3
184 - Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. Jake Meredith, 3-1
197 - #7 Eric Lapotsky (OU) pinned Anthony Pike, 0:47
285 - #13 Nathan Fernandez (OU) dec. Erik Nye, 3-2

Volleyball falls to Stanford

ckussala — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:31:49 -0700

Sofie Schlagintweit led the assault Saturday night with 12 kills as the Sun Devil Women’s Volleyball team closed out their 2009 home season with a tough 25-21, 25-15, 25-20 loss to the No. 6 Stanford Cardinal to fall to 13-15 overall and 3-13 in Pac-10 play. The Cardinal improve to 20-7 on the season and 13-14 in conference play with one week left in the regular season.

Set one saw A State come to play as they hit .250 with Erica Wilson and Sofie Schlagintweit both collecting five apiece to hang tough with Stanford, but the Cardinal were just able to best the Maroon and Gold with a .310 team attack percentage and two blocks to just edge ahead with a 25-21 win.

The Cardinal came out rocking in set two as well as they posted an amazing .455 attack percentage to blaze by on the coattails of Barbara Ifejika’s five kills and two team blocks to take a 25-15 win.

Coming out of the break the Sun Devils showed a bit more heart with three blocks to hold down the Cardinal as best as they could, but Eileen Murfee was swinging to win it with seven kills and a blazing .467 attack percentage that ASU just couldn’t contain as Stanford completed the sweep with a 25-20 to wrap the match.

Post match, Jason Watson stated, “We seemed to struggle with the small details again today, which is something we’ve been working on all season. We had solid outings from Sofie Schalagintweit and Paige Mittelstaedt, but we just weren’t able to get everyone in sync throughout the match.”

Up next the Sun Devils will wrap up the 2009 regular season as they head to Los Angeles next weekend to take on the UCLA Bruins and USC Women of Troy next Friday and Saturday night.

ASU football falls to UCLA

ckussala — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:28:09 -0700

Redshirt freshman Kevin Prince passed for 161 yards, UCLA's defense accounted for two touchdowns and set up a field goal, and the Bruins beat Arizona State 23-13 Saturday to become bowl eligible with their sixth win.

Prince was 15 for 31 with no interceptions and no TDs for the Bruins (6-5, 3-5 Pac-10), whose last postseason appearance was a loss in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl. They won their third straight, and will visit crosstown rival Southern California next weekend in a bid to solidify their selection to a lower-tier bowl.

When UCLA's defense wasn't scoring, it forced six turnovers.

ASU's (4-7, 2-6) hopes of being extended a bowl invitation were dashed with its fifth consecutive loss. The Sun Devils averaged 15 points during the skid. They finished 1-4 on the road this season, only beating Pac-10 doormat Washington State.

ASU's Kyle Williams had six catches for 128 yards and two TDs, including a 70-yarder in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Samson Szakacsy, the Devils' third quarterback of the season, was 15 of 22 with one interception and two touchdowns while getting sacked four times in his first career start. Dimitri Nance was ASU's leading rusher with 21 carries for 110 yards.

Chane Moline led UCLA with 84 yards rushing on 25 carries. Nelson Rosario had six catches for 81 yards.

Williams' second TD reception pulled Arizona State to 23-13 with 11:47 remaining in the game. The 2-point conversion failed when Jovon Williams Thomas Weber also missed a 43-yard field goal wide left in the third. dropped Szakacsy's pass on the goal line.

The Bruins outscored ASU 13-0 in the second quarter and overcame 11 penalties for 100 yards in their home finale at the Rose Bowl in front of 46,151. Kai Forbath kicked two of his three field goals in the second.

Szakacsy was sacked by Brian Price for an 11-yard loss, causing a fumble that was recovered by Akeem Ayers at the ASU 9-yard line. Ayers reached across the goal line with the ball as he fell, extending UCLA's lead to 16-7.

On Arizona State's ensuing kickoff, Sean Westgate recovered a fumble by Jamal Miles at the ASU 18. UCLA capped its possession with Forbath's 20-yard field goal for a 20-7 halftime lead.

Forbath hit a 22-yard field goal earlier in the second quarter to give UCLA a 10-7 lead.

The Sun Devils tied the game at 7 on Szakacsy's 35-yard TD pass to Williams with 51 seconds remaining in the first. Szakacsy lofted the pass under pressure to Williams, who dove into the end zone.

UCLA scored first on Alterraun Verner's 68-yard interception return at 11:47 of the opening quarter. It was the senior cornerback's school-record fourth career interception return for a TD.

Prince was briefly replaced by Kevin Craft after being shaken up early in the fourth, but he soon returned.

Women's basketball falls to Xavier

ckussala — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:21:14 -0700

Katie Rutan walked into the interview room, glanced around and hesitantly asked for directions.

"Where do I go?" she said.

It was the only time all day she sounded like a freshman.

Rutan made three consecutive 3s during a first-half run that put Xavier ahead to stay, and had a steal and layup that ended No. 14 ARIZONA STATE's comeback and sent the ninth-ranked Musketeers to a 59-46 victory on Saturday.

Xavier (2-0) never trailed after Rutan came off the bench to lead a 13-point run, making her three attempts from behind the arc. The freshman from Ambler, Pa., took quick shots without hesitation.

No shy freshman here.

"Never, never, never," Rutan said. "I'll never be shy. I just launch 'em."

Her ability to hit one long shot after another has already earned her a nickname. Teammates call her Brad Redford, a reference to the long-distance shooter on Xavier's men's team.

"I was excited," said forward Amber Harris, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds. "I felt like I was watching Brad Redford."

Rutan hears it all the time.

"It's a compliment, though," she said.

Rutan also had a steal and layup after the Sun Devils (2-1) cut the lead to 38-36 in the second half. The Musketeers then took control with some of their usual defense, holding the Sun Devils to one basket over the next 11 minutes, 17 seconds.

Last December, the Musketeers went to ARIZONA STATE and lost by 18 points to a team that would reach the elite eight. The Sun Devils return only two starters from that team. Dymond Simon, who was the leading scorer last season, is still recovering from a knee injury.

"This is life with seven new players," coach Charli Turner Thorne said.

Their inexperience showed during that 11-minute stretch, when the Sun Devils went 1 of 15 from the field and had nine turnovers. They finished with 21 turnovers overall.

"It gets frustrating when you throw the ball away on 10 of 13 possessions," Turner Thorne said. "It's not like we made the same mistake. We were very creative. We made different ones every time down. We took turns not getting things done throughout the game."

Danielle Orsillo led ARIZONA STATE with 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

Playing with the highest ranking in school history, Xavier got off to a ragged start before Rutan got into the game and put her imprint on the offense. She finished with 13 points.

"We brought her in here to make shots," coach Kevin McGuff said. "If she passes up a good shot, I'll probably take her out. She might as well keep doing what she's doing."

The 13-point run put Xavier ahead 20-8. The Musketeers led 28-23 at halftime even though Ta'Shia Phillips, their dominant center, didn't take a shot and played only 10 minutes because of foul trouble. The Musketeers got the ball to her inside for a basket that opened the second half. Phillips finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Xavier was one of the nation's top defensive teams last season, holding opponents under 50 points a school-record 16 times. The Musketeers allowed only 53.8 points per game last season, ninth-best in the nation.

During those decisive 11 minutes in the second half, they looked like themselves.

"The chemistry's going," Harris said. "We're staying together and keeping our composure during games. This is a good win for us. We've got stuff to prove because people aren't really looking at Xavier because we're Xavier."

Women's basketball faces Xavier in Cincinnati

ckussala — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:13:16 -0700

Up next
The No. 14/7 Arizona State women’s basketball team continues its current road trip when it travels Cincinnati, Ohio, to face the No. 9/13 Xavier Musketeers on Saturday (2 p.m. ET/noon MT). Saturday’s game is the second of four consecutive contests the Sun Devils are playing away from home. ASU began its current road trip with an 82-46 win at Yale on Thursday.

Xaiver represents the second of five 2009 NCAA Tournament teams the Sun Devils have or will face during the non-conference portion of their schedule. ASU defeated 32-game winner and 2009 NCAA participant South Dakota State in its opener, 73-64. Over the next several weeks the Sun Devils will also face East Tennessee State (Nov. 28 at Hawaii Tournament), No. 15/8 Texas A&M (Dec. 19 in Las Vegas) and No. 8/9 Baylor (Dec. 20 in Las Vegas).

On the air
Arizona State’s game at Xavier can be heard live on 1440 KAZG. Pre-game coverage will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Valley. Veteran broadcaster Jeff Munn is in his sixth season as the voice of ASU women’s basketball.

Preseason rankings
Throughout much of the preseason, Sun Devil head coach Charli Turner Thorne has made it a point to stress that the Sun Devils are about ‘reloading’ and not ‘rebuilding’ after losing six seniors from last year’s Elite Eight squad.

If preseason polls are any indication, it appears that media and coaches alike have taken notice that the Sun Devils intend to be among the nation’s best despite the number of losses from last season. After finishing 19th in the final 2008-09 Associated Press regular season poll, the Sun Devils opened at No. 16 in the AP’s 2009-10 preseason poll. ASU also opened higher in the preseason coaches poll, coming in at No. 11 after finishing 12th in the final coaches poll of the 2008-09 season. ASU’s No. 11 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 coaches’ preseason poll represents the highest preseason ranking it has ever received in either poll.

The highest ranking ASU had received in a preseason poll prior to this season came two years ago when it opened No. 12 in both polls. This year represents the fifth straight season that ASU has been ranked in both preseason polls.

In the latest polls the Sun Devils moved up to No. 14 in the AP and No. 7 in the coaches’ poll following their win over South Dakota State on Sunday. ASU’s No. 7 ranking ties the ASU’s highest in school history. ASU was also ranked No. 7 prior to facing Stanford in the 2007 Pac-10 Tournament championship game.

Preseason predictions
The Pac-10’s coaches picked the Sun Devils to finish second in the conference this season, which is exactly where it finished last season when it tied California for the league’s runner-up spot. The media that cover the conference had the Sun Devils in third. Worth noting is the Sun Devils received a first-place vote in the coaches poll.

Both the league’s coaches and media were in agreement in picking Stanford to win the conference.

Scouting Xavier
Saturday’s game will be Xavier’s second contest of the season. The Musketeers opened the season with an 81-71 overtime win at USC. Xavier was picked to repeat as champions of the Atlantic 10 Conference, receiving 12 of 14 first-place votes. Junior forward Amber Harris (19 points and 12 rebounds at USC) and junior center Ta’Shia Phillips (14 points and 11 rebounds at USC) were both named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team and the All-Defensive Team.

ASU and USC are the only Pac-10 schools the Musketeers have ever faced with each meeting coming within the last calendar year.

If the Sun Devils are able to come out on top on Saturday, they will do it against a program that has won its last 17 home openers dating back to 1992.

Sun Devils look to remain among the best
During ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne’s stint leading the Sun Devil program, ASU has developed into one of the most successful programs not only in the Pac-10, but around the country as well. Since 2000, the Sun Devils have finished first or second in the Pac-10 a combined six times, and have finished lower than third only once. Nationally, ASU is one of 20 schools whose current streak of NCAA appearances is 5 or more, one of 15 schools that has qualified for the Sweet 16 three or more times in the last five seasons and one of 9 schools that has qualified for the Elite Eight at least two times in the last three years.

Always feeling at home
Something else the Sun Devils have come to be known for under Turner Thorne is having one of the best success rates in the country when they play on their home floor. Since 2004 the Sun Devils have won 87 percent (67-10) of the games they have played at Wells Fargo Arena. In addition, under Turner Thorne ASU has also proven to be nearly as effective when it is playing away from home. In the last three seasons the Sun Devils have won more than nearly 71 percent of their games when they were the visiting team or made a trip to a neutral site.

Who is returnng?
#13 Danielle Orsillo - Sr. - G - Returns as ASU’s most experienced player in the backcourt... Started all 35 games last season after missing all but one game of the 2007-08 season with a knee injury... Scored in double figures 17 times last season, including 11 times in ASU’s last 15 games... Named to the 2009 Trenton Regional All-Tournament Team after she averaged 12.5 points and 2.5 assists while making all 10 of her free throws in ASU’s four NCAA Tournament games... Has averaged 9.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in ASU’s first two games of 2009-10.

#21 Kayli Murphy - Sr. - F/C - Returns as ASU’s most experienced player in the frontcourt... Played in every game her first two years before a hand injury caused her to miss the first six games last season... Would go on to start in 27 of the 29 games she played in... Made 58 percent of her field goal attempts in Pac-10 play and was successful on 64 percent of her shots (32-50) in ASU’s last nine games of the season... Had the best all-around game of her career in ASU’s first round NCAA Tournament win over Georgia (Mar. 21). Made all six of her field goal attempts and scored a career-high 12 points for the second consecutive game. Also grabbed season-best 11 rebounds (one short of her career high) to account for the first double-double of her career... Through two games in 2009-10 has averaged 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds while connecting on 60 percent of her shots... Had the second double-double of her career in the 2009-10 season opener against South Dakota State in which she scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.

#30 Gabby Fage - Sr. - G - Reserve guard who has played in 67 games over the last three seasons... Will look to pick up where she left off at the end of the 2008-09 season as she played a big role in helping the Sun Devils qualify for the Elite Eight for the second time in three years... After averaging 5.8 minutes in her first 24 games of the season, averaged 22.8 minutes in ASU’s four NCAA Tournament contests... Came through with clutch effort in ASU’s 63-58 win over Florida State to help send the Sun Devils to the Sweet 16 as she played a career-high 26 minutes and tied her career high in points (6) and set a new career best with six rebounds. Hit back-to-back 3-pointers over a 31-second span to cut Florida State’s once nine-point lead to a single point, 46-45, with 6:12 left in the game... Is averaging 2.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 2009-10 (18.5 mpg).

#32 Becca Tobin - Jr. - F/C - Skilled post who will have a more prominent role in 2009-10... Came into the 2009-10 season having played in 66 games her first two seasons... In 2008-09 led or tied for the team lead in rebounds nine times and blocks 10 times... Was successful on 55.4 percent of her shot attempts (67-121) and 72 percent of her free throws (33-46) last season... Connected on 62 percent (31-50) of her shot attempts during ASU’s school record 15-game winning streak last season and hit 53 percent of her shots (10-19) in ASU’s four NCAA Tournament games... Has been ASU’s top offensive threat through two games in 2009-10, averaging 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while connecting on 65 percent of her shots... Made the first start of her career in ASU’s 2009-10 season opening win against South Dakota State and scored a career-best 18 points to go along with six rebounds.

#25 Kimberly Brandon - So. - G/F - Had a tremendous offseason and figures to play an ever bigger role in 2009-10 after playing in 30 games last season (5.8 minutes per game)... Recorded career-best numbers in points (11), rebounds (6) and steals (2) in win at Oregon (Jan. 10, 2009)... Led ASU in its exhibition win over Vanguard as she scored 19 points to go along with seven rebounds... Sister Gennifer is a freshman on the California women’s basketball team... Is currently averaging 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists... Made the first start of her career in ASU’s 2009-10 season opener against South Dakota State (Nov. 15).

#12 Alex Earl - So. - G - Will have a much bigger role this season following the graduation of three guards from last year’s team when she played in 23 games (4.3 minutes per game)... Has excellent perimeter shooting skills... Missed ASU’s 2009-10 season opener and she recovered from a foot injury... Made all four of her field goal attempts, including a pair of 3-pointers, and scored a career-high 12 points in ASU’s win over Yale (Nov. 19).

New cast members
#35 Tenaya Watson - Jr. - G - Transfer from Central Arizona who is one of the candidates to take over as the team’s starting point guard... At Central Arizona was part of NJCAA national runner-up (2008) and NJCAA champion (2009) where she was a teammate of fellow ASU newcomer Markisha Patterson... As a freshman in 2008 was named a NJCAA Division I First Team All-American following a freshman campaign in which she averaged 16.6 points and finished first in the nation in field goal percentage (.646), second in assists (8.4 apg) and 11th in steals (3.8 spg)... Turned in another outstanding campaign in 2009 as she averaged 13.8 points, 5.4 assists (13th in the nation) and 3.9 steals (fourth in the nation) per game in helping lead Central Arizona to a perfect 35-0 season and the NJCAA title.. Was named the MVP of the 2009 NJCAA Tournament after averaging 16.8 points in Central Arizona’s four tournament games. In the NJCAA championship game she scored a career-best 30 points and grabbed six rebounds to help Central Arizona defeat Missouri Jefferson College 78-77... Has started both games in 2009-10 and has averaged 5.0 points and 5.5 assists... Scored 8 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out seven assists in her Sun Devil debut against South Dakota State (Nov. 15).

#11 Kali Bennett - So. - F/C - Transfer from the University of Washington who figures to play a big role this season after sitting out the 2008-09 season because of NCAA transfer rules... Averaged 4.9 points and 3.0 rebounds for the Huskies while tying for the team lead in blocked shots with 15... Is currently averaging 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 steals... Scored seven points and grabbed three rebounds in season opener vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 19), her first official game as a Sun Devil... Solid outing at Yale (Nov. 19) included 6 points, eight rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

#22 Janae Fulcher - RS-Fr. - F/C - Redshirted last year... Will have a big role this season after ASU graduated three post players from last year’s team... Helped lead her high school basketball team, La Jolla Country Day, to four league championships... Scored two points and grabbed a pair of rebounds in her Sun Devil debut vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 15)... Is currently averaging 6.5 points and 6.0 rebounds while connecting on 67 percent of her shots... Had the first double-double of her career with 11 points (5-6 FGs) and 10 rebounds in 12 minutes of play at Yale (Nov. 19).

#4 Haley Parsons - RS-Fr. - G - Redshirted last season... Has been slowed by injury in preseason.

#3 Joy Burke - Fr. - F/C - Extremely talented post who has outstanding range and versatility... Local product (Tempe Marco de Niza), who was McDonald’s All-American nominee and was also named to the Arizona Republic’s All-Arizona Team and earned all-city accolades three times... Connected on 63 percent of her field goal attempts as a senior while averaging 23.3 points, 17.8 rebounds, 7.5 blocks and 3.9 steals per game... Has averaged 7.0 minutes in ASU’s first two games... Scored 4 points and had 5 rebounds in ASU’s win at Yale (Nov. 19).

#5 Deja Mann - Fr. - G - A 2009 graduate of Merced High School in Merced, Calif., where she earned first-team All-Central California Conference honors each of her first two seasons, including being named the conference’s MVP her sophomore season... Savvy, hardworking, and dynamic combo guard who is both a prolific shooter and great decision-maker... Scored five points and had one assist in 16 minutes of play in season opener vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 15)... Has played 16 minutes in each of ASU’s first two games and has averaged 3.5 points.

#2 Sabrina McKinney - Fr. - G - Is also in the mix to assume the starting point guard role... Outstanding defender who was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year for Bowie High School in Arlington, Texas... Is currently averaging 2.5 points and 3.0 assists (20.5 mpg).

Adrianne Thomas signs with ASU
Charli Turner Thorne today announced on November 11 that Adrianne Thomas signed a national letter of intent to study and play basketball at Arizona State.

“I could not be more excited about the addition of Adrianne Thomas,” Turner Thorne said. “She is a powerful, explosive scoring combo guard who will fit in perfectly with our up-tempo offense and aggressive pressuring defense.

“Adrianne is an extremely tough and smart competitor who has had outstanding coaching through her high school and club programs. I predict she will adapt to the college game very quickly. Besides being one of the top guards in the country, Adrianne comes from an amazing family who has instilled in her great core values including impeccable character and strong leadership. She will be a great Sun Devil.”

A 5-9 guard, Thomas will be coming to ASU from Summit High School in Fontana, Calif., where she has earned Sunkist League MVP honors three times. In 2009 Thomas, who has scored in double figures 32 times the last two seasons, earned All-Sunkist League First-Team and All-CIF Southern Section First-Team recognition after leading her team to the state semifinals.

As a sophomore in 2008, Thomas helped Summit to its first CIF sectional championship game and the state quarterfinals. With her FBC club team she was named to the All-Tournament Teams of the adidas Womanhood National Championships, Summertime Invitational and adidas Super 64.

“Adrianne is a superstar on the court, off the court, in the classroom and in the community,” said Summit girls basketball coach Alexis Barile. “On the court she’s the type of player that won’t allow our team to lose. In crunch situations she’s the one that pulls us together and makes sure we win. She has a refuse-to-lose mentally. She’s going to fit into the ASU program very well as a person first and then as a basketball player.”

Up next
The Sun Devils travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic where they will face Hawaii (Fri., Nov. 27) and East Tennessee State (Sat., Nov. 28).

ASU head baseball coach Pat Murphy resigns

ckussala — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:06:50 -0700

Arizona State University head baseball coach Pat Murphy announced his resignation today. An interim head coach will assume responsibility for the program until his replacement is selected.

"Coach Murphy has an outstanding record of success on the playing field," said Lisa Love, university vice president for athletics. "I thank him for 16 years of hard work and service to the university and the sport."

Pat Murphy became ASU's head baseball coach in August 1994. During his tenure, he was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year four times, his teams took three straight Pac-10 titles, four overall, and four World Series berths, and in 1998 he was named the National Coach of the Year.

Since the 2000 season, no other Pac-10 school has won as many games as ASU, in both overall and conference games. Murphy also has had more players drafted by Major League Baseball since 1995 than any other coach in the nation.

ASU will immediately begin a national search for a new head baseball coach.

ASU volleyball against Cal and Stanford

ckussala — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:10:07 -0700

The Sun Devil Women’s Volleyball Team (13-13 overall, 3-11 Pac-10) will take to their home court one last time in the 2009 regular season as they set to take on No. 11 Cal Golden Bears (17-8, 10-5 Pac-10) and the No. 6 Stanford Cardinal (18-7, 11-4 Pac-10) this Friday and Saturday night in Tempe. Friday’s match against Cal will kick-off at 7:30 p.m. or following the conclusion of the 4:30 ASU Men’s Basketball game, while Saturday’s match against Stanford will be held at 7 p.m.

Extra, Extra This Weekend!
Due to the men’s basketball game Friday afternoon prior to the women’s volleyball match, ASU wants to make fans aware that they will start selling volleyball tickets during the second half of the basketball game, at which time, volleyball fans are welcome to stay and watch the end of the basketball game.

Parking will also be available in both parking structures for volleyball fans, just inform the attendants that you are there for the volleyball match.

Follow The Sun Devils Live!:
ASU’s fans can follow all of ASU’s home matches, as well as some road matches, via the free statistical GameTracker system at www.thesundevils.com. Just click on the Women’s Volleyball schedule and click on the live stats link!

Recapping Last Weekend:
Against No. 18 Arizona: The Sun Devils came out a bit lackluster in their rivalry match-up last Friday night in Tucson as they forced eight tie scores in the first set, but a 7-1 scoring run by the ‘Cats who feasted off of costly errors to take the first set 25-19.

Set two saw better offensive production from the Sun Devils with Sofie Schlagintweit leading the assault as well pushing eight tie scores on the ‘Cats again, but the Wildcats were able to pull away in the end as the Sun Devils stumbled to a 25-21 loss.

Three was all the ‘Cats needed on the evening though not without seeing some life from the Sun Devils as they blazed out to a 17-13 lead in the set. Another 7-1 run by the ‘Cats took the lead from ASU though and the match as UA finished out the set and the sweep with a 25-20 win.

Scouting This Weekend’s Competition/Series History:
No. 11 Cal: The Sun Devils will face the Cal Golden Bears for the 50th time in program history where they lead the series 27-22. In Pac-10 history, the teams have met 47 times with ASU leading 24-23 with a 13-10 lead at home in Tempe. Earlier this season in Berkeley, the Sun Devils fell in a tough 3-0 loss to the Bears.

No. 6 Stanford:
The Sun Devils will take to the floor Saturday for their 57th match-up against the powerful Stanford Cardinal program who hold a 4-52 record all-time against ASU. In Pac-10 history, Stanford leads ASU 44-2 overall and 21-2 when playing in Tempe.

Former Sun Devil slugger Barry Bonds visits ASU Baseball Camp

ckussala — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:52:45 -0700

ttendees of the recent ASU Baseball camp got the surprise of a lifetime when former Sun Devil star and Major League Baseball Home Run King Barry Bonds stopped by to speak with the campers.

Bonds visited his old stomping grounds of Packard Stadium to see Coach Pat Murphy and impart some wisdom on the campers. Bonds played at Arizona State from 1983 to 1985, hitting .347 and slugging 45 career home runs. He was an All-American and All-Pac-10 performer, helping lead the Sun Devils to the College World Series in 1983 and 1984.

He was a first round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1985 draft and played 22 seasons for the Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He won an unprecedented seven National League Most Valuable Player awards, including four straight from 2001 to 2004. He finished his career with 762 career home runs, most in baseball history.

In 2009, freshman shortstop Drew Maggi broke two of Bonds' school records for stolen bases and runs scored by a freshman. Maggi stole 21 bases, topping the 16 by Bonds in 1983 and Steve Garrabrants in 2001. Maggi scored 63 runs, besting the 60 scored by Bonds in 1983. Bonds still holds the ASU freshman record for home runs with 11.

Diving heads south for Wildcat Invitational

ckussala — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:14:03 -0700

The Arizona State diving team will head down the I-10 to Tucson this weekend for the Wildcat Diving Invitational. Hosted by Arizona, the members of the diving team will be able to compete in all three diving events this year, including the 10-meter platform, an event not competed in at dual meets.

"With the vast amount of talent we have on the tower this year, it is important that we get more experience throughout the season, so we added an invitational," said 13th year head coach Mark Bradshaw.

With Riley McCormick, the Canadian Olympian who is ranked fifth in the world on the platform, and 10-meter Olympic Finalist Elina Eggers, the Sun Devils cannot wait to show the college scene the talent they have picked up this year.

Oh Canada
Freshman McCormick has made quite the impact in the diving well. Despite the fact he had not competed on any of the springboards in years prior to his time at ASU, the 2008 Olympian has won four events for the Sun Devils this season. With his highest mark of the season on 3-meter 387.75, and 348.53 on the 1-meter, McCormick has already qualified for the Zone E Championships in those two events. He looks to qualify on platform, his specialty, this weekend.

The Good Egg(ers)
Eggers, a sophomore, has proven to be as good as advertised. The Swede, who reached the finals on the 10m platform in Beijing last year, was forced to sit out last season due to an NCAA regulation. The wait appears to have been worth it as the business major swept the springboard events in her Sun Devil debut against UCLA last weekend. She went on to win the 1-meter against USC and finished runner-up on the 3-meter. With both score well over the NCAA A standard, Eggers will be making a trip to Austin for the NCAA Zone E Meet. She, like McCormick, looks to qualify in the platform this weekend.

Jumping for Jumer
Brittany Jumer has also put together a very strong start to her junior season. The Minnesotan has won four events so far this season. She qualified for her third consecutive Zone E Championships against UCLA, where she placed second on both springboard events.

If You Cam-Cam-Cam!
Sophomore Cameron Bradshaw has earned a high-enough score on the 1-meter to automatically qualify him for the NCAA Zone Meet but is looking to get a high enough score on the 3-meter this upcoming weekend to qualify in that event. Bradshaw has scored a season-high 338.63 on the 1-meter and 310.88 on the 3-meter.

Next Up
Next weekend the diving team heads to the alma mater of head coach Mark Bradshaw to compete in the Ohio State Invitational while he swimming team will compete in the Missouri Invitational.