(Photo: Zac Pacleb/WCSN)
The No. 22 Arizona State volleyball team will look to get back on track after a homestand that saw them go winless as they square off against the lowly Washington State Cougars, who have had their share of struggles for the majority of the year.
The Sun Devils, who have gone 17-11 on the year and 7-9 in the Pac-12, will hope to finish the season on a high note and get a bid to play in the NCAA tournament. Their first hurdle, however, will be to perform versus the teams that they should beat, and the Cougars are one of those teams.
ASU performed well against a formidable opponent in the No. 10 Oregon Ducks last week, rallying from behind and extending the match to five sets before eventually losing. The match was not completely a failure as freshman libero Halle Harker broke her own record for digs by an ASU freshman with 34 on the game. She was not the only one breaking records however, as junior setter Bianca Arellano got in on the action by finishing with a career high 62 assists. With Harker providing the defense and Arellano dishing out the assists, the Sun Devils are a tough team to beat.
The Cougars have had a disappointing season to say the least with a 1-15 Pac-12 record, but that does not mean they have not been competitive in some of these games. Most recently, they lost in a five set thriller against the No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes. Four players tallied double-figures in the loss and the team as a whole was competitive in most if not all of the sets. Sophomore outside hitter Emmy Allen and sophomore outside hitter Kyra Holt both lead their team with 14 kills apiece. Allen and Holt will both have to perform nearly flawless against ASU if they want to stay competitive in this match.
Keys To The Game
Controlling the Cougar duo of Holt and sophomore setter Haley MacDonald
The Sun Devils will have their hands full trying to slow down WSU’s kill leader, as she has an impressive 356 kills on the year so far. She is not the only player to fear on the Cougar squad as the person setting Holt the ball is just as dangerous, as MacDonald is averaging 11.11 assists per set and a season total of 1178. ASU will have to perform well on the block and rely on Harker to dig as many hits as she can so the Sun Devils can cruise to a smooth victory.
Macey Gardner getting into a rhythm on both offense and defense
Last time these two teams met in Wells Fargo Arena, Gardner was nearly unstoppable, accounting for a team-high 25 kills and doing her part on the defensive end as well with a career-high 23 digs. This stellar play ultimately allowed the Sun Devils to complete the come-back and win the match. ASU will need a repeat performance from Gardner to put away the pesky Cougars.
Prediction
The Sun Devils did not get off to a great start in Tempe the last time WSU came into town, dropping the first two sets before rallying and winning the game in five sets. If ASU gets off to a strong start this time around, they will cruise to a rather easy victory in four sets.
