ASU Volleyball: Colorado preview

(Photo: Matt Harden/WCSN)

After splitting last weekends matches against the Washington schools, the No. 21 Arizona State Sun Devils travel north to Boulder to take on the unranked Colorado Buffaloes.

On the year, the Buffaloes are 14-12 and 6-8 in Pac-12 play. The record indicates an average team, but the record is in no way indicative of this Colorado roster.

This is a team that already beat then No. 7 Stanford when the two teams met in Boulder, and there is a lot of talent on this team.

To start, freshman middle blocker Naghede Abu is a defensive force for the Buffaloes. When the Buffaloes traveled to Tempe earlier in the year, Abu had 11 total blocks and wreaked havoc on the Sun Devil hitters.

In addition to Abu, there is also senior outside hitter Alexis Austin. Austin leads the team in kills per set at nearly four per set and will undoubtedly be a focal point of the offense.

For the Sun Devils, they need to build of the momentum gained from the match against Washington State last Sunday.

In the match, ASU had 82 digs as team, 21 of which came from junior outside hitter Cassidy Pickrell. To go along with Pickrell’s 21, freshman Lexi MacLean also added 14 digs of her own. The Sun Devils have always been an solid defensive team and will need to be against Colorado.

In addition to her 21 digs, Pickrell also added a match-high 17 kills. She played very well over past weekend and her continued production will be huge for the Sun Devils going forward.

Another aspect of the Sun Devils’ game that has faltered in the past couple weeks is their serving. Over the weekend, ASU had over 20 service errors which is far too high.

Their ability to serve the ball will be essential in this match. Colorado at home is a very good team, and the Sun Devils can’t afford to give away points on unforced errors.

The match is set for 7 p.m. Thursday and can be seen on the Colorado live stream.

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Andre Simms

Recent Posts

Skinner’s career night propels ASU to narrow victory in season opener

(Photo credit: Aishling Cavanaugh/WCSN) TEMPE — With Desert Financial Arena buzzing, Arizona State found itself…

7 hours ago

Sun Devils prepare for Big 12 debut in Adair’s third year

(Photo credit: Marina Willams/WCSN) Excitement is brewing for Arizona State women’s basketball as the Sun…

20 hours ago

Sun Devils put up complete performance in fall exhibition against GCU

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN) As warmup music echoed throughout GCU ballpark, baseball bats pinged and cleats…

2 days ago

Takeaways: Sun Devils Clinch Bowl Eligibility With Win Over Oklahoma State

With 22 seconds remaining in the first half Arizona State football found itself a single…

2 days ago

No. 13 Sun Devils Extend Win Streak to 10, Earn Season Sweep Over No. 22 Utah

(Photo: Katherine Gore/WCSN) In a match one month ago, No. 13 Arizona State Volleyball won…

3 days ago

Sun Devil arms against pros in exhibition against USA Baseball

(Photo: Austin Hurst/WCSN) PHOENIX - Senior right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez walked off the mound in…

3 days ago