(Photo: Blake Benard/WCSN)
The No. 13 Arizona State Sun Devils will try to end their four-match losing streak when they take on the Utah Utes tonight at 6 p.m. in Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Arizona.
Three of ASU’s losses have come against top-15 teams: No. 1 USC, No. 12 UCLA and No. 4 Washington. All of these losses are coming in the absence of star senior outside hitter Macey Gardner (Gardner was injured in the second set against Washington).
ASU has been searching for answers without Gardner, and it seems as if one thing that worked was moving senior middle blocker Whitney Follette to opposite. In two games on the right side, Follette has tallied 23 kills on 52 attempts with only seven errors. The Sun Devils will once again look Follette’s way as long as the production continues.
The Sun Devils are not the only team struggling coming into this game. The Utes are in a rough stretch as well. The Utes have dropped seven straight matches in Pac-12 play.
It will be up to ASU’s two setters, senior Bianca Arellano and freshman Kylie Pickrell, to kick start the Sun Devils offense, which has been lacking. That’s not to say the duo is struggling. Pickrell is averaging 5.15 assists per set and Arellano is averaging 5.95 assists per set.
If the setters are able to distribute the ball well, the Sun Devil offense could exploit a weakness in the Utah team. On the season, the Utes are only averaging 2.3 blocks per set on the season. With the amount of weapons that the Sun Devils have on offense, there should a large amount of options for the setters.
One thing that has remained consistent for ASU has been a strong blocking presence. The Sun Devils are averaging 2.9 blocks per set on the season, good for 13th in the nation. In order for the Sun Devils to get ahead and stay ahead in this match, they will have to rely heavily on their blocking abilities.
The main opponent to the Sun Devils block will be sophomore outside hitter Adora Anae. This season, Anae has 306 kills, which leads the team, and is averaging over four kills per set.
This match should be a bit of a reprieve for the Sun Devils. This weekend is the first time in seven weeks that the Sun Devils have not played a team within the top-15.
If you have any questions or comments you can contact Jacob Franklin via twitter @Jacob_Franklin4 or via email at jacobfranklin093@gmail.com
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