Categories: Arizona State

ASU Looks for First Pac-12 Win at USC

(Photo: Ryan Bafaloukos/WCSN)

The No. 19 Arizona State Sun Devils look to get back on track as they continue Pac-12 play against the dangerous No. 9 USC Trojans in Los Angeles. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. PT and can be watched on the Pac-12 Network.

The Sun Devils ended up taking a hard-fought loss at the hands of their rival Arizona Wildcats in five sets (25-21, 22-25, 21-25, 27-25, 13-15) on Wednesday despite career-highs from star junior outside hitter Macey Gardner and junior setter Bianca Arellano.

Gardner played out of her mind as she posted 30 kills – 10 of them coming in the fourth set – to join Sarah Reeves as the only ASU volleyball players with 30 kills in a match since 2000. Arellano also had herself a night, tallying 61 assists but it was not enough against the resilient Wildcats, who had an answer for everything the Sun Devils were hitting at them.

The battle-tested Trojans limp into this contest losers of four of their last five matches. Don’t let that fool you, however, as these came against the toughest teams the NCAA has to offer – No. 22 Texas A&M, No. 10 Florida, No. 5 Wisconsin and fellow Pac-12 team No. 20 UCLA. USC is still looking for their first home victory of the season and they hope it can come tonight against ASU.

Players To Watch

In addition to Gardners thunderous kills, watch for who gets the start at the second middle blocker spot between redshirt freshman Kwyn Johnson and junior Andi Lowrance. The teams success hinges on these playersperformance during injured junior middle blocker Whitney Follettes absence. When they play well, the entire team seems to be in sync and in a rhythm. Another player to watch is junior middle blocker Mercedes Binns, who has really stepped up and become the brick wall of the ASU blocking presence. She will need to be on her game tonight if the Sun Devils want a shot at the upset.

On the other side of the court, the Trojans have a couple young and hungry outside hitters, junior Samantha Bricio and sophomore Ebony Nwanebu, who are dominating if they get into a rhythm. Nwanebu especially needs to get into a groove if she wants to break the Trojanswoes. Her struggles recently, posting a measly six kills and a .071 hitting percentage against UCLA, have hurt the team and are of part the reason they are in this slump. Bricio is known for having one of the best serves in the country, and she is third in the country in service aces with 37.

Prediction

Bricio and Nwanebu will have huge bounce-back games, racking up kill after kill against this ASU defensive front, and the Sun Devils will have no answer. Gardner will do all she can but the five set marathon against Arizona will have her team a little worn out. The Women of Troy will prevail in the back-and-forth first set on their way to cruising to a easy sweep.

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Austen Browne

Recent Posts

Sun Devils Bring Record-Breaking Fire to First Day of GAC Invitational

(Photo: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics) Arizona State brought its full force toward day one of…

1 hour ago

Sun Devils have all around performance in 93-89 win over Cal Poly

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN) TEMPE-Arizona State men's basketball entered this game shorthanded. With junior guard Austin…

1 day ago

Sun Devils score 90, avoid scare in win over Cal Poly

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN) TEMPE — Entering Wednesday night’s matchup against Cal Poly, Arizona State basketball…

1 day ago

No. 9 Sun Devils one winning weekend away from Big 12 Champions

(Photo: Aubrie McMillan/WCSN) Arizona State Volleyball is coming off a successful road trip to West…

2 days ago

Sun Devil Swim and Dive Gears Up for East Coast Showdown at GAC Invitational

(Photo: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics) Arizona State is back in action in Greensboro, North Carolina,…

2 days ago

Gold team prevails MGWS game one 3-1 win over Maroon

(Photo: Austin Hurst/WCSN) The Gold team’s spirtis were as high as the gold sun in…

2 days ago