(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Arizona State Volleyball (10-3,0-1 Pac-12) will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 3-0 sweep in their Pac-12 opener as they head into Sunday’s match against Washington (11-1, 1-0 Pac 12).
The Devils began Pac-12 play against rival Arizona and lost in three sets (26-24,25-18,25-22). Arizona State struggled with serves on both sides of the net as Arizona totaled seven service aces while ASU netted zero aces with five service errors.
Another struggle for the Sun Devils was passing as it made it difficult for setters Nicole Peterson and Shelbie Dobmeier to distribute the ball around for a balanced attacked. The freshman duo will play a pivotal role as every aspect of the offense is ran through two in ASU’s 5-1 system.
Not only did the Devils struggle as a team, star middle blocker Oluoma Okaro had an unusually poor performance as she ended the match with a mere seven kills and an attack percentage of .000, considerably lower than her season average coming in of 4.56 kills per set and a .269 attack percentage.
The Devils will have little time to contemplate the loss as they will continue Pac-12 play at home against Washington who enters the match ranked seventh in the nation. In last year’s meetings between both teams, the Washington Huskies swept both matches
The game will be a start of a tough stretch for Arizona State as they will face Top 15 ranked teams in three out of their next four matches. The schedule will remain difficult throughout the year as six of the Pac-12’s twelve teams were ranked in the Top 25 heading into conference play.
After winning the Pac-12 last season, Washington will be looking to not only repeat as Pac-12 champions, they will look to be one of the nation’s national title contenders after getting swept by Nebraska in last year’s elite eight NCAA tournament match.
The Huskies enter this year’s match against the Devils with an impressive 11-1 record with their only loss coming to Creighton. Washington showed dominance in their preseason efforts as they swept the match in nine of their ten victories and will also enter Sunday’s match on a nine-match winning streak.
Washington brings in a very experienced team featuring seven seniors, all of whom bring NCAA tournament experience and the knowledge and experience of what it takes to win a Pac-12 title.
The Huskies will be led by seniors Bailey Tanner, Tia Scambray, and Crissy Jones. Tanner, the team’s setter, is the key to Washington’s success on the offense side of the net as she leads the team with assists and recently had a 47-assist match in the teams Pac-12 victory over Washington State 3-1.
The Sun Devils will be looking to stop Jones as she is the most dangerous option Washington has, which was evident in their victory over Washington State as she led the team in kills with 18. Jones not only provides valuable effort on the offensive side, she also is a key player on the defensive side as she was second in kills to only Scambray last match.
The game will feature an intriguing storyline as coach Sonya Tomasevic of ASU is currently the all-time leader in points and kills at her alma mater Washington.
The team will be looking to recover quickly from Thursday’s loss and be competitive in Sunday’s match against the Huskies.
