ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils enter the Hawkeye Classic strong

(Photo: Zac Pacleb/WCSN)

With one weekend down in head coach Stevie Mussie’s first year, Arizona State volleyball looks forward to the Hawkeye Classic in Iowa this weekend.

The Sun Devils went 2-1, with their only loss coming to the University of New Mexico, and it was the newcomers who stood out. Mainly, junior middle blocker Oluoma Okaro being the star of the weekend.

Okaro took home the tournament MVP, as she notched 36 kills over the course of the weekend, with a hitting percentage of .385. She was also a presence at the net, adding 10 total blocks.

Senior outside hitter Maya McClendon and freshman outside hitter Ivana Jeremic also stood out for ASU. McClendon lead the team in kills with 37, and Jeremic totaled 23 kills in the first weekend of her ASU career.

Both hitters were efficient with McClendon hitting .349 and Jeremic hitting .316.

The offense was clicking mainly due to sophomore setter Kylie Pickrell, who made the all-tournament team, as she tallied 118 assists.

This weekend the Sun Devils will square off against Butler, Iowa and Oakland.

“Every week there’s something new we have to get better at,” Mussie said. “I don’t know what it’s going to be this week. Last week it was making sure we’re starting the right rotations.”

Here is a look at the Sun Devils competition:

Butler

The Butler Bulldogs are 2-2 coming into this weekend. The two losses came to Gonzaga and Utah, respectively.

The Bulldogs are led by head coach Sharon Clark who is the all-time wins’ leader.

Sophomore Anna Logan, who has played all 18 of the sets for Butler, leads the team in kills with 89, and she added 46 digs as well.

The Bulldogs also have two viable options at setter with junior Makayla Ferguson and redshirt freshman Maddie Freiwald. Ferguson has 128 assists, and Freiwald has 66.

Iowa

The Hawkeyes pose the biggest threat on the weekend, as they come into the tournament with a 3-0 record.

Their three wins came against Loyola Chicago, Depaul and Northern Illinois, and the Hawkeyes only dropped one set.

Iowa is led by head coach Bond Shymansky, who is in his third year at the head of the program.

Senior outside hitter Lauren Brobst looks to be the Hawkeyes main weapon as she recorded 38 kills last weekend in their tournament.

Redshirt freshman outside hitter Meghan Buzzerio also had over 30, with 32 kills.

Oakland

The Grizzles come into the Hawkeye Classic with a record of 2-1, with their only loss being to the University of Louisville in four sets.

2014 Horizon League head coach of the year Rob Beam is the head of the Grizzles team.

Oakland boasts a pretty well spread offense, with six players having double digit kills through the first three matches.

Redshirt freshman setter Jordan Lentz has done a nice job on the young season as she averages 10.3 assists per set and has a total of 103 on the year.

If you have any comments or questions, you can contact Jacob Franklin via Twitter @JFrankSports or via email at jacobfranklin093@gmail.com.