(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devils return home for the Sparky Classic this weekend, riding a 7-2 record into the team’s final non-conference tournament before conference play.
ASU rolls into the Sparky Classic after a successful tournament in Wyoming, where they beat Murray State and Binghamton. Their lone loss on the weekend came last Friday at the hands of the Wyoming Cowgirls.
Northern Arizona, Gonzaga and Texas State will make the trek to Tempe this weekend for the Sparky Classic. ASU played both NAU and Gonzaga last season, defeating the Lumberjacks in Flagstaff while losing to the Bulldogs in Spokane.
Associate head coach Carlos Moreno believes the Sun Devils should stay focused on the matches at hand, and not worry about who their next opponent is.
“We are not trying to worry about who we are playing against,” Moreno said. “We need to make sure we do our jobs.”
In order to control their side of the net, Moreno emphasized the importance of serve-receive and passing to set up the Sun Devils’ up-tempo offense. With this faster offense, ASU hopes to open up more consistent opportunities for their hitters.
One of those hitters is junior Nicole Peterson, who is moving from setter to pin hitter this season. Moreno praised Peterson, saying she has “a toolbox of shots” that allows her to be an effective hitter without receiving a perfect set.
With an offense that better fits the style of setter Shelbie Dobmeier and great production from Ivana Jeremic in her new role as a right-side hitter, ASU aims to use their home-court advantage and boost themselves heading into Pac-12 play.
NAU is 7-3 on the season, beating No. 8 Florida in Flagstaff in one of the biggest upsets in program history. The Lumberjacks committed nine fewer attack errors in the match and rode a .287 hitting percentage to victory. ASU will need to keep outside hitter Kaylie Jorgensen out of her rhythm. Jorgensen is hitting .226 with 3.26 kills per set in the Lumberjacks first 10 matches.
After dropping their first five matches of the season, Gonzaga has bounced back and has won their last three. The Bulldogs’ 3-5 record on the season and all-time record of 15-57 against Pac-12 schools looks to be in ASU’s favor, but the team pulled out a five-set win against California last week.
Texas State comes in with a 6-5 record on the year, but three of those losses come to ranked teams. Last season, the Bobcats finished first in the West Division of the Sun Belt and have finished in the top three of their conference in five consecutive seasons.
The Sun Devils host NAU and Gonzaga Friday with matches at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. respectively. They wrap up pay in the Sparky Classic at 7 p.m. Saturday when they face Texas State.
