Devils in Detail
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ASU Volleyball: Final Home Stretch Begins

By Alec Henden

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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The Arizona State women’s volleyball team season has been full of on-court struggles against more talented opponents. Heading into their final four games of the season, there is one thing the team would like to accomplish before hanging up the net at Wells Fargo Arena, a win in front of the home crowd.

The home stretch begins with a tough matchup against the No. 12 Stanford Cardinal. Stanford swept ASU in three sets in their October game in Palo Alto. Leading the Stanford offense has been freshman sensation setter Kathryn Plummer who leads her team in kills with 292. Plummer’s dominance early in her career shows that the present and future are bright for Stanford volleyball.

Defensively for the Cardinal, another freshman Morgan Hentz has played outstanding as well. Hentz has recorded 434 digs on the campaign, and has averaged 4.62 kills per set. For Stanford coach John Dunning, it’s just another crop of young talented players for the Hall-of-Famer and four-time NCAA champion.

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For the Sun Devils, senior transfer Maya McClendon has been an impressive player down the stretch of a long season. McClendon struggled out the gate in her only season in Tempe, but has turned her season around with repeated impressive performances and has shown herself to be one of the bright spots for the Sun Devil offense.

Coach Stevie Mussie has stressed throughout the season that her and her staff aren’t used to losing and this season has been difficult. For a coach that has had great success as a player and a student, transition periods in the program are never fun but they’re essential to building a successful program down the road. Especially in a Pac-12 conference that will remain competitive for the foreseeable future. For now, the Sun Devils will finish out this long season, and look forward to future success under coach Mussie.

Tonight’s game begins at 5:30 Arizona time, and can be seen on Pac-12 Arizona.