(Photo: Zac Pacleb/WCSN)
The No. 19 Arizona State volleyball team looks to rebound from a disappointing loss last Sunday against Oregon State and start this weekend off right with a win over the struggling unranked Utah Utes on Halloween night in Wells Fargo Arena. A win would avenge an early season loss to the Utes, where the Sun Devils were out-performed in four sets.
The Sun Devils had all of the momentum going into their tilt with Oregon State last weekend. Fresh off an impressive five set upset over No. 12 Oregon, the Sun Devils were riding high. It was another story in Corvallis, however, as ASU came out flat and unprepared. They were held to only seven blocks and could not get it done in the crunch-time of each set, becoming victims to a sweep. As the second half of the Pac-12 slate gets underway, the Sun Devils will have to find their rhythm.
Ever since their victory over ASU at the beginning of Pac-12 play, the Utes have been on a downhill spiral, losing five of their last six matches since then. Their most recent matches came last weekend where they were swept by both Washington and Washington State on the road. The problem seems to be not being able to get into an offensive rhythm as the Cougars out-hit them .255 to a lackluster .127. Utah will need to rely on senior right side hitter Shelby Dalton to take the reigns and score early and often.
Marquee Matchups
– Freshman outside hitter Adora Anae vs The Sun Devil’s Defense
Anae was the difference maker in the last match against the Sun Devils as she ended the game with 17 thunderous kills and an impressive .424 hitting percentage. She looked unstoppable and ASU had no answer to her dominant offense. The Sun Devils will have to play stellar defense by getting digs to throw her off her game. Making Anae commit a couple errors could be the difference between a win and a loss.
– ASU’s Blocking vs Utah’s Blocking
The two-headed blocking monster of sophomore outside hitter BreElle Bailey and junior middle blocker Mercedes Binns will be counted on all throughout this game as the last match between these two teams saw both of them struggle to produce consistent blocks. Utah had a dominant 14 while ASU struggled to stop the ball from going over the net with only eight. The Sun Devils have since improved their block totals but they need to continue that to throw the Utes’ into an offensive funk throughout the entire game.
Prediction
The Sun Devils are playing much better volleyball since the previous match between these two teams, improving greatly on the defensive side, and that will be key for them as Anae and Dalton need to be slowed down. The Utes will continue their losing ways as ASU will pull out the easy victory in three sets.
