(Photo: Brendan Maloney)
No. 22 Arizona State looks to continue its run in the NCAA national tournament when they play against juggernaut 2-seed Texas Longhorns on Friday in the second round. This is the farthest the Sun Devils have gone in the tournament under head coach Jason Watson and the first time making it to the second round since 2006.
After a slow start against the red-hot Texas A&M Aggies, ASU stormed back in impressive fashion, coming out on top in the last three sets on their way to a victory which improved them to 20-13 on the year, only the second 20-win season under Watson. Junior outside hitter Macey Gardner was her usual dominant self, leading both squads with 24 kills and a .315 hitting percentage. She was not the only one running the show for the Sun Devils, as sophomore outside hitter BreElle Bailey joined in on the action with nine kills and a .316 hitting percentage. ASU will have to continue its impressive offensive showings to keep up with the Longhorns.
The Longhorns struggled at times getting going on offense against the Lady Demons of Northwestern State on Thursday but eventually overcame that on their way to a three-set sweep. After narrowly escaping the first set with a .088 hitting percentage, Texas finally settled down due to senior outside hitter Haley Eckerman and her 12 kills. What the Longhorns lacked on offense, though, they more than made up for on defense, holding the Lady Demons to a measly .069 hitting percentage throughout the entirety of the game. That is what makes this Texas squad so dangerous: when one aspect of its game is struggling, the other end picks up the slack and can lead the team to victory.
Keys to the Game
-Gain Momentum
ASU seems to thrive with momentum on its side, with the most recent example coming in the first round of the tournament against the Aggies. They struggled and dropped the first set but came back to win the second set. With the momentum clearly in their favor after that point, the Sun Devils did not look back and played better than they had played all game long with Gardner and Bailey taking over the match. All ASU needs is a few key kills to get the offense going against Texas and they will be tough to slow down.
-Step It Up On Defense
A big key to the game will be the team that tallies up the most digs by the end of this battle. The Sun Devils will need to keep the ball in play and keep rallies going to set up their attackers for success. It all starts with the play of freshman libero Halle Harker. Though she is inexperienced, she brings a lot to the table as she is 10th on ASU’s all time single-season digs list. Her skills will be needed against dangerous Texas attackers.
Prediction
The Sun Devils will put a nice fight but their road to the title game will end here, as Texas barely escapes with a five-set win.
