ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils look to finish strong in last homestand

(Photo via Ritisha Thakker/WCSN)

No. 18 Arizona State volleyball (24-4, 12-4 Pac-12) entered last week ranked one spot higher on the AVCA Coaches Poll, coming in at No. 17 in the country. The one-spot drop comes despite winning both of its matches last weekend at home against Colorado and Utah.

However, the Sun Devils were still able to post some extraordinary marks after play came to a close following the weekend slate. For one, ASU is now in sole possession of second place in the Pac-12 Conference standings, a positive progression after being tied for third with USC before the Colorado and Utah matches.

The win against Utah last Saturday was the squad’s 24th of the season, good for the most wins this century and the third most in a season in program history. In sweeping the Utes, ASU also extended its program-record to 17 sweeps on the year.

The Sun Devils were also able to overcome the recent struggles they have faced against Colorado. Going into the match, ASU had most recently been swept by the Buffaloes back in Boulder earlier this season. They also entered the match having lost seven of the last 10 outings against them.

In terms of individual accolades, senior opposite hitter Marta Levinska earned her fourth Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors this season, as she averaged 23 kills per match against Colorado and Utah.

ASU will surely be aiming to collect two more wins at home this weekend as No. 6 Oregon (22-5, 12-4 Pac-12) and Oregon State (10-16, 5-11 Pac-12) visit Tempe.

The marquee matchup of the weekend will take place on Friday evening at Desert Financial Arena, as the Ducks will look for revenge against the Sun Devils after getting swept back in October on its home floor. The match is being called the “Maroon Monsoon,” and all Sun Devil fans are encouraged to sport ASU maroon for the top-20 clash.

The Ducks are headed into the matchup off a win against Cal and a loss against the top team in the Pac-12, Stanford.

The key to Oregon’s success is its ability to average three more kills and assists per set than the team on the other side of the net. The Ducks also notch more aces and digs per set, along with fewer errors per set on average than their opponents. They are a well-rounded, complete unit, with no clear-cut weaknesses.

The Ducks are led by sophomore outside hitter Mimi Colyer, who is top-five on the team in all five main statistical categories — kills, assists, aces, blocks and digs. Colyer also resides in the top-five for kills per set in the Pac-12 with 3.78.

The Sun Devils’ biggest advantage in this matchup might simply be that it will be played at home, as they are undefeated in games played in Tempe so far this season.

Graduate setter Shannon Shields will play an important role for ASU, as she will be tasked to guide the offense in an efficiently sound and strategic way if her team is going to sweep the season series against Oregon for the first time since 2019. Shields is one of the best setters in the Pac-12, currently averaging 10.37 assists per set, which ranks third in the conference.

Oregon State faced identical results as its in-state rival Oregon last weekend, beating Cal but losing to Stanford.

The Beavers come into this weekend ranked 9th in the Pac-12 and likely out of contention for a postseason tournament birth. However, Oregon State is quietly starting to trend in the right direction, as it has embarked on a complete rebuild of the program behind first-year head coach Lindsey Behonick.

Behonick has the Beavers 3-3 in their last six matches, one of which being a road victory against a ranked Washington State team. That marked the first top-25 road win for Oregon State since 2017 and gave the program two ranked wins in a season for the first time since 2011.

In October, the Beavers also bested a ranked Sun Devils squad in a tough five-set affair at home.

ASU will be especially motivated to not suffer another loss at the hands of the Beavers on Sunday, as the match is also Senior Day for the Sun Devils. The six players being honored will be Levinska, Shields, Meadow Cooper, Maddie McLaughlin, Roberta Rabelo and Jaden Ravnsborg.

Levinska has been the Sun Devils’ most consistent player this year, and they will need another big outing from their superstar pin hitter to secure the victory. The Latvian is averaging almost five kills per set, which ranks second in the Pac-12. She also comes in tied for fourth in the Pac-12 — alongside teammate Mary Shroll — in aces, averaging 0.39 per set.

The Beavers also have a standout performer in senior outside hitter Mychael Vernon, who ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in total kills at 367 and sixth in total points at 419.5.

Both matches will take place at Desert Financial Arena, with the Oregon matchup on Friday beginning at 6 p.m. and being available to stream through ASU Live Stream. The clash with Oregon State will start at noon on Sunday and can be viewed on Pac-12 Network.