ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils take on #15 USC Trojans
By Trevor Booth
ASU volleyball look to rebound from last night’s loss as they take on the second half of their LA school homestand against USC.
After a tough loss against No. 13 UCLA on Friday night, the Sun Devils continue their tough month of October as they take on the Trojans from USC Saturday night.
The Trojans come into the match on Saturday night with a 12-4 overall record (4-1 Pac-12), tallying a five-match win streak before their loss last night against the University of Arizona. Prior to that match, the Trojans had won 15 of their past 20 sets, and in the midst of that streak, they produced one of the best offenses in the Pac-12 thus far.
USC is led by senior opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie, who was recognized as the Pac-12’s Player of the Week for her efforts last week. She tallied 13 kills in two matches along with a career high of eight digs against the University of Washington.
The experience of Abercrombie is joined by star sophomores Cindy Marina and Khalia Lanier, who have used breakout seasons to find themselves among the company of some of the best players in the Pac-12. Marina has recorded 322 assists so far this season, and Lainer is fourth in the conference with 4.25 kills per set.
In their early conference matchups, the Trojans have put together two of the most significant wins out of any conference team so far. After trailing two sets to one against UCLA, they showed great poise to come back and win two straight sets on the road.
About a week and a half later, the Trojans shocked the world of collegiate volleyball by dominating the Washington Huskies with a 3-0 sweep. They managed to take a big lead in every set in that match, and thwarted the brunt of the Husky offense by limiting Courtney Schwan and Marion Hazelwood to just 10 combined kills.
After what we’ve seen from the Sun Devils against UCLA, here’s some things that they’ll have to watch out for as they take on the Trojans.
The Setter Adjustment
Along with Cindy Marina, the Trojans run a 6-2 offense with setter Reni Meyer-Whalley, who is 10th in the conference with 6.30 assists per set with 378 total assists on the season. The two have combined for 700 of the 806 Trojan assists thus far.
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Against a 6-2 lineup, the Sun Devils will have a tougher time finding places to target in their serving. The Trojans will have a setter in the back row for serve receive at all times, which greatly increases their ability to pass and set up quickly on offense. With strong hitters on both the opposite and outside ends, ASU will have to be ready to pass some bullets.
“They’re a good all-around team,” Coach Sanja Tomasevic noted. “They play fast offense, and they’re always going to be good if they’re consistent, so we’ll have to get them out of system.”
In order to break down the passing of USC, it’ll be as important as ever that the Sun Devils serve aggressively and away from the setter in the middle back position. It may not stifle the entire offensive flow, but it will put more pressure on the other back row players of USC to consistently make plays.
Quick Points
It goes without saying that the Trojans like to end points quickly. They are currently first in the conference in assists per set (13.95) and kills per set (14.80), and have used fast plays to force their opponents to consistently try to merely get the ball over the net.
For the Sun Devils, this could play to their advantage.
ASU currently leads the conference in digs this year with 999, with Halle Harker recording 324 of those digs. Due to the quick nature of their points, the Trojans are currently second-to-last in the conference in blocks per set this season at 1.99.
Although the Sun Devils haven’t been blocking very well, their dig percentage could present a matchup struggle for USC. With Harker’s ability to read the swings of her opponents, she’ll be able to drag out points and force USC to play in transition a lot more than they’re usually used to.
Over the past five matches, the Sun Devils haven’t had the ability to pass consistently in serve receive, but their transition defense has been one of the shining lights of this team’s ability. Against one of the tougher teams in the conference, it could be their secret form of kryptonite.
Experience and Resilience
As stated earlier, the Trojans have been able to show great poise throughout the course of the whole season. They’ve been able to rebound on the road, as well as having the ability to close matches when they’ve hit crunch time.
USC has ten upperclassmen on their roster who have given them plenty of experience both off and on the court during practice. With a senior class that’s complemented by eight underclassmen, Coach Mick Haley’s team is in the midst of establishing a winning culture for now and the future.
With that being said, the Sun Devils will have to be prepared for a battle during every point that they play. Even when they gain momentum on a run, they’ll have to be ready for a return, as the Trojans seem to play even better while being behind on the scoreboard.
Next: ASU Volleyball: Sun Devils fall to #13 UCLA in four sets
First serve between the Sun Devils and Trojans will be at 6 p.m. PST and can be viewed on the ASU Live Stream.