No. 25 ASU pays a visit to No. 17 Hawaii

(Photo: ASU Athletics) 

On Saturday night the No. 25 ASU volleyball team (1-0) is taking on the No. 17 Hawaii Rainbow Wahine (1-0). It will be one of the biggest non-conference clashes between ranked teams this season, and both teams have a lot to prove in 2014.

The trends are different for each team, as the Sun Devils have been experiencing one of the best stretches in program history with back-to-back tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013. The promise is in the team’s youth, and the fact that they only lost one starter from last year’s tournament team is a big reason they found themselves ranked in the preseason for the first time in nearly two decades.

Hawaii, on the other hand, is a perennial powerhouse in volleyball. The Rainbow Wahine haven’t missed the NCAA tournament since 1992. However, the past two trips to the tournament have resulted in second-round exits. It’s the first time since the start of their historic streak of tournament appearances that they have failed to make it out of the first weekend in back-to-back years.

So the past two years have seen something other than the status quo for both of these ranked teams, but as the teams clash tonight, there will be no shortage of intensity on either side. Each team will be looking to its most experienced players to shoulder the leadership.

Arizona State Players to Watch

For the Sun Devils, the bulk of the experience will be coming from junior outside hitter Macey Gardner. Gardner has received All-Conference honors in the Pac-12 in both of her seasons at ASU. Junior setter Bianca Arellano will look to set the pace for the offense, coming into her second year as a Sun Devil after transferring from Tennessee after her freshman year there. Arellano could also play a factor in other areas of the game, with her service abilities (she had two service aces in the team’s opener against San Diego State) and blocking abilities.

Hawaii Players To Watch

In Hawaii’s opening match of the season against Ohio, it was the juniors and seniors that set the tone and carried out the sweep. Junior middle blocker Olivia Magill had 10 kills and senior libero Sarah Mendoza’s career-high 24 digs, contributing to a sweep in which Ohio had its chances, never losing by more than five points in any set.

What To Watch For

Size will present some interesting match-ups in this game. Of the Rainbow Wahine’s players who saw the floor in the opener, outside hitter Kalei Greeley is the tallest at 6-foot-2. ASU will be rotating in three players that all are 6-foot-2 and above (Whitney Follette, who’s 6-foot-2, Mercedes Binns, who’s 6-foot-3, and BreElle Bailey, who’s 6-4). Whether or not the Sun Devils can take control of the blocks in this game could play a big factor in who comes out on top.

Prediction

Hawaii’s at home, but ASU has improved from where they were this time last year, and it was just under 12 months ago that the Sun Devils swept No. 2 Texas to put themselves on the map in 2013. The non-conference can be proving grounds, and ASU will prove itself tonight with a thrilling 5-set victory over Hawaii, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 15-13.

Stats and Broadcast

The match is set to start at 11:30 p.m. PT. The live broadcast can be found here and the live updating stats can be found here.

You can reach Trey Lanthier on Twitter @TreyLanthier or by email, at treylanthier@gmail.com.

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