The ASU beach volleyball team faces No. 2 USC in their first round matchup at the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships in Palo Alto, California.
It’s time for the postseason, and for Pac-12 teams, that can only mean one thing:
It’s win or go home.
The Sun Devils (10-18) will open this weekend’s Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships as the No. 7 seed, taking on two-time defending national champion and No. 2 USC at 9:45 a.m. PT Thursday morning.
Arizona State faced the Trojans two times earlier in the year, matches that came down to tight losses within the Sun Devil lineups.
The first meeting between the two clubs came on Feb. 24, a matchup that the Sun Devils would lose by a score of two sets to three. Kate Baldwin and Samantha Plaster picked up the lone victory for ASU, using early runs to dethrone Peri Green and Alexandra Poletto in two sets.
Ellyson Lundberg and Katelyn Carballo also played a winning hand for ASU, using their chemistry to overcome a second set loss and knock off Briana Sizemore and Joy Dennis in three sets.
Although ASU’s No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 lineups would fall each fall in two sets, the close nature of the matches gave the team hope going through the early part of the season.
The teams would face again during the first day of the Pac-12 South Invitational on March 24. This time, the Trojans would exhibit more dominance, as lineup adjustments allowed them to come away with a 4-1 victory over the Sun Devils.
Plaster and Baldwin again emerged victorious for ASU, but the team showed struggles in tight matches. The Devils’ No. 4 and No. 3 lineups each fell in three sets, results that ended up being the deciding factor in another close match.
This time, the Sun Devils hope that experience in deep sets and the intensity of the postseason will carry them to an upset over the Trojans.
In order for that to happen, ASU will have to set the tone with their No. 3-5 lineups.
Although Katie Cross is the only upperclassman in these positions, the Sun Devils have seen their most consistent play from these lineups. Outside of the five matches they were swept in, at least one of these lineups has been able to pick up a match point in each of their games.
If ASU is able to take at least two of the three opening matches, it could open up more pressure for USC’s No. 1 and No. 2 lineups. The Trojans possess one of the top duos in the nation in Abril Bustamente and Tina Graudina, but if they begin to feel the pressure of the match, Kwyn Johnson and Mia Rivera could seize the opportunity to go on extended runs.
Next: ASU Beach Volleyball: Sun Devils fall in Territorial Cup heartbreaker
The winner of the match will go on to face the victor between No. 3 California and No. 6 Washington on Friday. A loss for either team would have them facing the loser of No. 8 Utah and No. 9 Oregon Thursday at 4:45 p.m PT.