After losing their first two Pac-12 matches versus Arizona and Washington, ASU volleyball is back in action Wednesday at No. 2 Stanford.
After falling to Arizona and Washington in their first two conference games, ASU volleyball look to get back to their winning ways.
The Sun Devils haven’t exactly looked like a stellar team to start the conference season, beginning Pac-12 play with two losses. The team was swept by Arizona, who is unranked and came into the match at the bottom of the Pac-12 standings.
The Sun Devils got off to a hot start against Washington on Sunday, winning the first two sets, but the team choked and lost three consecutive sets to lose the match to the seventh-ranked Huskies.
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While the non-conference portion of the schedule was promising for ASU, the Sun Devils’ fortunes might not change tonight against Stanford, which is now ranked second in the nation and won the National Championship last year.
In addition to being No. 2 in the nation, the Cardinal are 9-2, and the team won both of its first two conference matches against California and Colorado, respectively.
Stanford’s only two losses both came against the Penn State Nittany Lions, who are also ranked in the Top 10.
One player that the Sun Devils will have to somewhat neutralize to have a chance at victory is Kathryn Plummer. Plummer is 6-foot-6 and leads the Pac-12 in kills per set and points with 4.82 and 5.55, respectively.
She also won AVCA Freshman of the Year and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in her freshman season in 2016, helping the Cardinal win the National Championship.
Plummer isn’t the only prominent player on Stanford as the team is composed of several strong players. Middle blocker Tami Alade is fifth in the Pac-12 in hitting percentage with .374 on 38 sets played, and Jenna Gray is second in the conference in assists per set and third in the Pac-12 in service aces.
Next: ASU Volleyball: Takeaways from the first two Pac-12 games
The Arizona State-Stanford match will begin Wednesday at 7 p.m. PST and will be televised on Pac-12 Network.