(Photo: Paige Cook/WCSN)
Arizona State Volleyball (7-6, 0-2 Pac-12) will be on the road for the first time in Pac-12 Conference play as they travel to the Bay Area this weekend to take on Stanford and Cal.
Following three-straight five set matches to UNLV, Arizona and Oregon, the Sun Devils will look to bounce back on Friday night against No. 17 Stanford.
Head coach Sanja Tomasevic emphasized the importance of executing the little things when it comes to competing in matches.
“I talked to them about it a lot, there are no little things,” Tomasevic said. “We have to be better at focusing on the little things because little things are the difference makers of winning championships or not.”
Here is a quick preview of both Stanford and Cal.
Stanford Cardinal: (6-4, 1-1 Pac-12)
Stanford had difficulties performing last year due to the effect of COVID-19 and went 2-11 in the conference-only season. It was the first time the Cardinal did not qualify for the NCAA tournament, snapping a streak of 39-straight appearances.
This season, Stanford already has ranked wins over No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Nebraska and No. 18 Penn State. The Cardinal won their first match against Cal and are coming off a five set loss to then-No. 19 UCLA.
One player the Sun Devils will need to look out for is freshman setter Kami Miner. Miner has twice been named Freshman of the Week in Pac-12 and leads the Pac-12 in assists per set (11.65).
The Cardinal boast a 3-1 record at home this season.
California Golden Bears: (7-6, 0-2 Pac-12)
The Golden Bears opened up Pac-12 play by dropping two matches to Stanford and USC.
Cal’s roster is quite young, as 10 of 18 players are underclassmen. It returns five sophomores from the 2020-21 spring season in libero Tara DeSa, middle blocker Lydia Grote, setter Kendall Jensen, outside hitter Katarina Pantovic and opposite Sam Taumoepeau.
Senior outside hitter Katie Smoot has made her presence felt in the Bears’ offensive attack and will look to keep that going this weekend. To start the season, Smoot has recorded a team-high 164 kills, which ranks seventh in the Pac-12. She also ranks second in Pac-12 in total attacks with 521.
In the spring season this past year, the Sun Devils swept both matches against the Bears – their first season sweep against them since 2016. ASU leads the head-to-head record between the schools 39-32.
The Sun Devils will play at Stanford at 7 p.m. on Friday night and matchup with Cal at Noon on Sunday.
