(Photo: Blake Benard/WCSN)
The No. 13 Arizona State University Sun Devils look to stay perfect at home as they take on the unranked Colorado Buffaloes today at 7 p.m.
Although Colorado is unranked, that doesn’t correctly represent the quality of this team. It has already beaten then-No. 6 Stanford at home and is coming off a statement road win against No. 14 Arizona.
There are a few key players to look out for on the Buffaloes, senior outside hitter Alexis Austin, and setters, senior Nicole Edelman and sophomore Gabby Simpson.
Austin is by far the best hitter on Colorado. She leads the team in kills per set at 4.0, which is good for fifth in the Pac-12. Simpson is also incredibly talented. Although she’s listed as a setter, she is second on the team in kills at 3.54 per set. Together, the two of them pace the Colorado attack.
Feeding both of them is Edelman. The senior has racked up over 750 assists this year and sits 6th in the Pac-12 at 9.73 assists per set.
ASU is a great defensive team and will have to play up to its ability to stop an offense that is coming in with a ton of momentum.
ASU is ranked third in the Pac-12 in blocks at nearly three per set and in opponent hitting percentage where the Sun Devils hold their opponents to a .149 percentage.
A big part of that number is senior middle blocker, now opposite, Whitney Follete, who is four blocks away from 400 total in her career. On the year, Follette is fifth in the conference in blocks per set averaging at 1.33.
Offensively, Follette has played well since switching to the right side three matches ago. She has recorded over 10 kills in every match she has started at right side and seems to be settling in nicely.
Another Sun Devil to look out for is junior outside hitter BreElle Bailey. Bailey has been in a groove over her last few matches. She had nine kills against Utah and played well against USC when she single-handedly kept the Sun Devils afloat in fourth set with eight kills.
The Sun Devils snapped their four game losing streak and now look to capitalize on some new found momentum in this match. The match will be streamed live on the Pac-12 digital stream.
