(Photo: Paige Cook/WCSN)
After splitting the Bay Area road trip, Arizona State returns to Desert Financial Arena to face Washington State Thursday and No. 11 Washington Sunday. The Devils are currently 8-7 with a 1-3 Pac-12 record and look to build off their first conference win against California.
Washington State (8-6, 2-2 Pac-12)
The Devils will open the homestand against the Cougars on Oct. 7. Washington State will look to turn their fortune around after they lost at home to USC and a thrilling five-set match to No. 15 UCLA. The last time Arizona State and Washington State played each other, Washington State took both matches at Desert Financial Arena.
Last season, the Cougars finished fourth in the Pac-12 and entered the NCAA tournament as the 15 seed, before they were eliminated by Western Kentucky in the second round. This season, WSU has already seen early success. To open conference play, they defeated No. 24 Colorado and No. 6 Washington. These wins opened eyes around the nation, as they received 13 votes on the AVCA coaches poll.
The Devils must watch out for junior outside hitter, Pia Timmer. Timmer leads the Cougars in kills and service aces with 197 and 18, respectively. This dominant play has helped the 6-foot-2 outside hitter to earn last week’s Sport Imports/AVCA Division 1 Women’s Player of the Week and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.
No. 11 Washington (9-3, 2-2 Pac-12)
After losing their opening conference matches, the Huskies got back on track when they defeated No. 15 UCLA in five sets and USC in four. The shaky start for Washington has been surprising, especially considering the Huskies entered this season as the reigning Pac-12 champions and made it to the semifinals in the NCAA tournament. The last time Arizona State faced Washington the Devils upset the 8th-ranked Washington squad in a straight-set match. Washington bounced back and won the second match on its home court.
Junior outside hitter Claire Hoffman has been a force to be reckoned with this season. Hoffman has had two 20-kill performances this season, the most recent occasion happening in Friday’s win against a ranked UCLA squad. Hoffman is averaging 3.62 kills per set, which is the eighth-best in the Pac-12 right behind Arizona State’s outside hitter Iman Isanovic. Helping Hoffman is 6-foot setter, Ella Powell. Powell leads the Huskies in assists and digs with 505 assists and 131 digs so far this season. Both players have been crucial to Washington this season.
Arizona State will open the weekend set against Washington State Thursday, Oct. 7 at 7 pm. The Sun Devils will take on No. 11 Washington at noon Sunday.
