Devils in Detail
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ASU Volleyball: Road Warriors play for Territorial Cup point

By Harley Yearout

Sep 3, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs during the first half against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky performs during the first half against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Arizona State volleyball team (7-5) begins Pac-12 play with a trip down south to take on the University of Arizona.

The “Road Warriors” of ASU continue their road trip following four straight nonconference tournaments to open the season.

Notably, the Sun Devils notched their first win over a ranked opponent in the Boise State Classic, grinding out a five-set win over then No. 17 Santa Clara. The win gave head coach Stevie Mussie her first win over a ranked team while at ASU and also gave the Sun Devils their win no. 700 as a volleyball program.

Looking ahead to the upcoming rivalry matchup against Arizona, here is what you should know about both teams:

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA (8-4)

Following an 0-3 start, the Wildcats have found their rhythm late, winning eight of the their last nine matches.

Arizona is finishing opponents quickly having only dropped five sets in September.

The Wildcats have been playing top-tier opponents as all four of Arizona’s losses have come to teams currently ranked in the AVCA top 25. Additionally, UA opponents have a combined win percentage of .681, the thirteenth most-difficult schedule in the nation.

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The Wildcats have reeled off 8 consecutive victories against ASU in Tucson.

Arizona State University (7-5)

ASU enters the match having played inconsistent volleyball. The Sun Devils knocked off Santa Clara only to drop matches to Portland State and Boise State.

The Sun Devils have yet to lose a five-set match in 2016. The team is 4-0 in matches that go the distance.

The match will mark ASU playing 14 consecutive games away from Wells Fargo Arena this season. When all is said and done, ASU will have played 18 of their first 20 matches on the road.

Players to Watch:

Middle Blocker Oluoma Okaro- the junior was named to the All-Tournament team in the Boise State Classic after putting up 39 kills in the tournament. She has been the most accurate attacking option for the Sun Devils in 2016.

Setter Penina Snuka- the senior is the driving force of the Wildcats offense. She leads the team with 391 assists and 22 service aces in addition to a .321 attacking percentage. Snuka only has eight errors on the year.

Next: ASU Volleyball: offensive struggles continue in loss

The game will be played at the McKale Center in Tucson at 7 p.m. The match can be streamed live on Pac-12 Network.