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ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils look to rebound against UW

By Carson Field

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Oregon Ducks T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Oregon won 80-57. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky the Sun Devil performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Oregon Ducks T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Oregon won 80-57. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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After falling in three sets in the team’s conference opener to Arizona, the ASU Volleyball team looks to regroup tomorrow against Washington.

Thursday was a disappointing start to the season for ASU volleyball, but it’s not the time to panic.

After losing to bitter rival Arizona in the Sun Devils’ first conference game, ASU will play its second conference game tomorrow at Wells Fargo Arena versus Washington.

Last year, ASU lost both of its matches against the Huskies, and they were both sweeps.

Washington is back-to-back defending Pac-12 champions, and the Huskies had a stellar overall record of 29-5 last year. The Huskies made it to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament last year before they were knocked out by Nebraska.

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ASU head coach Sanja Tomasevic is a UW grad who was an outside hitter for the 2005 Washington National Championship team. Despite her ties to the Huskies, Tomasevic said she is treating this like any other match.

“It’s been a long time, and a lot’s changed at Washington, so it’s going to be a special place for me.” Tomasevic said. “I love the place, I love the people there, but at the end of the day, it’s a job.

“And I’m not the one playing over there, and I don’t have any family members playing over there right now. It’s going to be just like any other match. ”

While Washington is 11-1 and No. 7 in the nation, senior libero Halle Harker said the preparation for the Huskies is the same as for any other opponent.

“I think it’s important for everyone to understand that we prepare the same way every time no matter the team name,” Harker said. “So whenever we’re playing non-conference games versus whenever we’re playing now, every single team we prepare the same.

“As athletes, we like routine. We like to wake up, we like to be told what to do, we like to know exactly what’s happening, and that’s the same thing on gameday. We prepare the same way for U of A as we do for UW.”

A couple of Washington players to watch for in the match are Courtney Schwan and Lauren Sanders.

Schwan was the Pac-12 Player of the Year last season in her junior year, and she currently leads the Huskies in kills with 123 kills. She also leads the team in service aces with 20, and she is also second on the team in digs with 95.

Lauren Sanders, the 6-foot-4 middle blocker for the Huskies, is another pivotal part of the team. Sanders currently leads the Pac-12 in blocks per set with 1.64, and her teammate Marion Hazelwood is second in the conference with 1.59.

Next: ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils fall in Pac-12 opener to Arizona

The first serve of the match will be at 1 p.m. PST tomorrow at Wells Fargo Arena and can be seen on Pac-12 Network.