ASU Volleyball wraps up their non-conference slate with three games at the UT-Arlington Maverick Classic versus Lamar, Houston Baptist and UT-Arlington.
Coming off a 3-0 weekend at the Northern Arizona Tournament, ASU volleyball looks to ride their hot streak as they travel to the Lone Star State to compete in the UT-Arlington Maverick Classic.
Going into the tournament, the Sun Devils currently boast a 7-2 record, with both losses coming outside the state of Arizona. With three matches to go before conference play, the Devils look to avenge their Gonzaga loss with another true road match and a few new challenges along the way.
Here’s what the team can expect against some of their opponents this weekend.
Lamar
The Cardinals enter the UT Arlington Classic with a 1-5 overall record, one that presents the nature of four consecutive losses. Although the Cardinals are set for a rebound year, the Sun Devils shouldn’t take their opponent lightly.
When they gain precise ball control, the Cardinals have shown to have some success with their attacks. Haley Morton currently has a total of 120 assists this season, with an average of 6.35 assists per set.
The attacks aren’t distributed unevenly either as 199 kills total have been recorded from the top five Cardinal players.
The key to victory for the Sun Devils will be to establish ball control early and force Lamar into uncomfortable decisions on defense. The second and third leaders for Lamar’s total digs are their outside hitters, showing that they can be caught out of sorts.
It will be up to the Sun Devil setters to continue to balance the attack to keep the Cardinals in uncomfortable positions to respond. If they can serve aggressively and quickly escape serve receive, the Devils should be able to set themselves up nicely in their first match.
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Houston Baptist University
Like the Sun Devils, the Huskies of Houston Baptist come into the tournament with a 7-2 record. However, those two losses are a result of the last two games the Huskies have played in.
The Huskies return star outside hitter Bailey Banks, who leads her team with 111 kills with a 3.36 kill per set ratio. Banks has also shown to be a good defender, being second on the team with 121 digs and a 3.67 dig per set ratio.
However, in their two losses against Texas State and Rice, the Huskies struggled to get their star player going, as Banks only recorded 22 kills total on a .113 hitting percentage.
The Devils must also be wary of middle blockers Kayla Davenport and Blair Gilliard, who have 66 combined blocks for the Huskies on defense.
In a tough match with an opponent looking to end their mini-skid like ASU last weekend, it’s imperative that the Sun Devils close the block between Peyton Grahovac and Griere Hughes to shut down the attack of Banks.
On offense, hitters Oluoma Okaro and Griere Hughes, along with Grahovac and Ivana Jermic, must find a way to switch up their angles on their attacks in order to eliminate the threat that exists from the block.
This will definitely be a tough match, but the Devils have shown execution in these areas that’s led them to successes against similar threats.
University of Texas at Arlington
The Sun Devils have the opportunity at another true road match this weekend as they take on tournament host UT-Arlington in the finale Saturday.
The Mavericks head into the tournament with a 5-5 record, as they lost to UC Davis in the tournament opener this morning.
After opening the season 5-1, the Mavericks are currently looking to end a skid of their own, one that’s jumped out to four games.
Despite their woes, the Mavericks do have a dangerous one-two punch with middle blocker Zhanelle Geathers and outside hitter Qiana Canete.
Geathers brings forth a lethal middle attack for the Mavericks, having recorded 130 kills on a 3.71 kill per set ratio, while Canete chips in 112 kills with a 3.11 ratio.
Along with her outstanding hitting numbers, Canete leads the Mavericks on defense as well, with a 113 digs on a 3.14 dig per set ratio.
Like Banks from Houston Baptist, the Sun Devils will have to be wary of a hitter that can do things on both sides of the ball in Canete, along with a sustained middle attack at the caliber of Geathers.
In this game, the Sun Devil blockers will have to turn their focus both from the outside and the middle of the floor. Reading sets and establishing good communication early on will help dictate where Halle Harker needs to be to set up the Devil offense.
With the Pac-12 non-conference standings being heavy at the top, the Devils look to enter conference play still standing as one of those top teams. With a solid weekend here in Texas, they definitely have the ability to turn some heads going into next week.
Next: ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils defeat Utah State to sweep NAU Tournament
Arizona State will open up the tournament Friday at 3 p.m. PST versus Lamar followed by two games Saturday versus Houston Baptist at 8 a.m. PST and UT-Arlington at 4 p.m. PST.