(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Coming off of a 1-2 weekend at the Gonzaga Invitational, the Arizona State Sun Devils (4-2) are looking to come out with a winning record at this weekend’s Northern Arizona Tournament. The Devils will face off against Cal State Bakersfield, Northern Arizona and Utah State.
Cal State Bakersfield: Friday, Sept. 8 @ 10 a.m.
With a 4-3 overall record, the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners will be one of ASU’s biggest challenges in the tournament. One of CSU Bakersfield’s biggest advantages against ASU is their ability to perform well on a neutral stage. The Roadrunners are 3-1 on a neutral court, while ASU remains 1-2. Despite this fact, ASU’s major strength against the Roadrunners is their hitting. The Sun Devils’ come in with a .252 hitting percentage, significantly higher than the Roadrunners’ .177 hitting percentage.
In terms of defense, the Roadrunners’ secret weapon is Senior setter Emily Lopes, who posted an impressive 39 digs and zero reception errors in the Roadrunners’ last win against Northern Arizona. She also leads the team with 181 digs since the start of the season. Lopes’ digging abilities will come in handy against ASU’s powerful offensive line, especially star middle blocker Oluoma Okaro, who is averaging an impressive 17 kills per game; she will be going head-to head with Redshirt senior middle blocker Haylee Robertson, who is averaging 8.76 kills per game this season for the Roadrunners. CSUB will need an effective strategy in terms of blocking to stop Okaro, who is a force to be reckoned with at the net.
Norther Arizona University: Friday, Sept.8 @ 6:30 p.m.
The 3-3 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks will be ASU’s second opponent of the tournament. Although the Lumberjacks are one game shy of a winning record, they do have a 2-2 record on a neutral stage, which is better than ASU’s neutral record. Statistically, the Sun Devils average more kills per set, assists per set and service aces per set than the Lumberjacks, which puts ASU at an advantage offensively.
In terms of defense, NAU averages 18.2 digs per set, which is more than ASU’s average of 17.6 digs per set. As a result, ASU will need to develop an offensive strategy that is hard for NAU’s back line to keep up with. Senior defensive specialist Brooke Donelly is NAU’s best defensive asset. She leads the team with 93 digs and only eight reception errors this season. Redshirt junior outside hitter Kaylie Jorgenson is another key to NAU’s defense; she has an impressive 83 digs this season with seven reception errors.
The two defensive standouts will challenge ASU’s offense by making it difficult for the Sun Devils to have successful kills during the match. In addition, NAU’s middle blocker Abby Akin will be a defensive standout at the net. Akin leads her team with 19 blocks this season. This gives both teams a fairly even matchup at the net in terms of blocking, which means that NAU’s defensive strategy must include effective digging to ensure that the Lumberjacks can keep the Sun Devils’ offense under control.
Utah State: Saturday, Sept. 9 @ 10 a.m.
The Utah State Aggies have the same 4-3 record as Cal State Bakersfield, but their assets are quite different. The Aggies’ star outside hitter Lauren Anderson will give ASU a unique challenge with her hitting ability. Anderson has a .245 hitting average, which puts her at No. 9 of all-time among both current and former USU hitters. In addition to Anderson, USU also has strong hitting in senior Rachel Gale-Hammond and right-side hitter Kayla DeCoursey. As a result, the Sun Devils’ back line will have to work hard to ensure the Aggies’ offense doesn’t get into an offensive rhythm at any time during the match.
ASU libero Halle Harker will have a difficult task, but the senior is a proven defender. She already has 126 digs this season with only four receiving errors. Harker will have help from Okaro, who is equally as effective in the back row as she is the front row, totaling 66 digs this season.
The Sun Devils have three competitive matches coming up during this tournament. They’re out to prove that they can hang in what looks to be an extremely challenging Pac-12 conference.
