Devils in Detail
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ASU Volleyball: Momentum carries Sun Devils into Boise State Classic

By Samantha Sloman

Dec 13, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky reacts during the first half of the game against the Pepperdine Waves at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky reacts during the first half of the game against the Pepperdine Waves at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Heading into the final weekend of non-conference play, the Arizona State women’s volleyball team has started the season off strong under new Head Coach Stevie Mussie with a 6-3 record.

In their final attempt to make adjustments before Pac-12 games begin, the team heads to Boise, Idaho for the Boise State Classic. Here, ASU will play an undefeated Santa Clara team, Portland State and host school Boise State on Sept. 16 and Sept. 17.

Coming into this tournament, it looks as though ASU is beginning to find their rhythm as a team. After changing to the 6-2 offense, the team won consecutive games, headlined by a five-set thriller against Long Beach State, the first true road victory for the Sun Devils with Mussie at the helm.

“The Long Beach State game was very emotional, high energy and everything that a Hollywood script could write it out to be. I like where we are at,” said Mussie.

Following a strong close to the Long Beach State Baden Invitational, the team is trying to turn another corner as they continue to practice limiting their errors.

A large portion of errors has come from the offense this season and adjustments are generally made as setters and outside hitters develop strong chemistry on the court.

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Sophomore setter Kylie Pickrell has been Arizona State’s strongest setter this season and with an average of 7.79 sets per match, she is a key component to the teams continuing success. She is also a key cog in communicating the flow of the offense to her teammates.

“We have been doing drills that require us to get to 25 points before making an error on our side of the net, and if we do, we go back to our starting point. It’s been putting a lot of emphasis on us to make sure that we’re keeping the ball in play,” said Pickrell.

Going into conference season, one of the main focuses of the team is to strengthen communication on the court as well as to maintain a positive energy.

“Communication is always needing improvement. We play and watch with our eyes so we make sure to get on them to say what they see,” said Mussie.

Aside from Pickrell, junior middle blocker Oluoma Okaro will be an important factor on the offensive end as she currently leads the team in kills and attacking percentage.

“My communication with Kylie [Pickrell] is huge because if I want to get the ball, I need to call out what kind of set I want to get, and she needs to know where I am,” said Okaro.

The end to the Baden Invitational was a giant step forward for the program and one final tune-up gives the Sun Devils the opportunity to ride a huge momentum shift going forward.

ASU opens the Boise State Classic with Santa Clara at 11 a.m. MST on Friday.