(Photo: Tyler Rittenhouse/WCSN)
After dropping the first two matches of the team’s four-game home stand, Arizona State volleyball (10-8, 0-6 Pac-12) will be looking to bounce back against Colorado (12-5, 2-4 Pac-12) who recently dropped their last two matches.
ASU is coming off losses to UCLA and USC, both in four sets. While the Devils struggled in both matches to secure a win, the team continued improving in almost every facet of the game. They face the tough task of facing top-20 teams in almost every Pac-12 match.
Several players stood out in the matches including junior middle blocker Carmen Unzue, who reached a career high in kills with 13 and tied a career-high with six blocks against USC.
While Unzue had a career night, some players for the Sun Devils struggled in the USC match to be able to effectively contribute to the team. One sore spot on the night for ASU was the setter position as freshman Shelbie Dobmeier followed up a dominant performance against UCLA, where she had a 41-assist outing, with just under half as many the second night.
Dobmeier was pulled at the beginning of the third set as the team faced an early 6-0 deficit. Fellow freshman Nicole Peterson came in relief and sparked some life into the Sun Devils, but the early deficit proved too much to handle as USC won the set 25-20. The match showed the dilemma ASU has had all year, as it has switched off between setters throughout the season due to inconsistent play.
“That’s the thing about both of them, they come off the bench pretty strong but they can’t finish what they start,” ASU head coach Sanja Tomasevic said. “They’re different setters so I would like to get one of them to step up and own the team.”
While ASU will look to end their current Pac-12 losing drought of six games, the Colorado Buffaloes will also be looking to get back on track after dropping their last two matches against Washington 3-0 and Washington State 3-1.
The Buffaloes are led on the offensive side of the net by outside hitter Alexa Smith, who currently leads the team with an average of 4.19 kills per set, and assist leader Brynna Deluzio who has reached fifty or more assists in six of the team’s seventeen matches. Both players rank in the top five of their respective categories as Smith comes in at number five while Deluzio ranks at number three.
Arizona State will be focused on getting the ball past Naghede Abu the middle blocker for Colorado who leads the team in blocks with 85 compared to ASU’s leader Unzue who has 57 on the year. In order to adequality prepare for some of the best players in not only the
ASU will have to get the ball past Naghede Abu, the middle blocker for Colorado who leads the team in blocks with 85. ASU’s leader, Unzue has 57 on the year. In order to adequately prepare for some of the best players in not only the conference, but the nation, ASU has continued to use male players in their practices to heighten the level of competition and better prepare for what the team will see.
“We have boys and they’re putting pressure with a big block and if we can go block those guys, there’s no chick in the Pac-12 that can hit as hard as those guys or block as high as those guys,” Tomasevic said. “We are not yet successful against boys in the gym but I think it has put a challenge in front of the girls that they haven’t seen in practice thus far, and I think it’s going to pay off in the games because again there’s no girl on Colorado or Utah that is as good as some of these guys.”
Combined with the unique approach to the game, and the small improvements ASU has seen throughout the season, the Sun Devils have put themselves in a position to be competitive against any team they face. The key against a very well-rounded Colorado team will be for the Devils to take a very strategic approach to the game and limit errors in order to end their current six-match losing streak.
“It’s going to be us putting pressure on them both offensively hitting wise and serving so it doesn’t necessarily mean hitting really hard driven balls,” Tomasevic said. “It’s putting them out of system and making sure that they are in trouble on the other side and then I think if we do that smartly and not make too many mistakes it’s going to be a good night for us.”
