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ASU Volleyball: Challenging weekend ahead against WSU and UW

By James Malamas

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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ASU volleyball returns home this weekend as they prepare to face No. 22 Washington State and No. 15 Washington.

The Sun Devils come back to Wells Fargo Arena riding high as they traveled up north and swept the Oregon schools, including beating 12th-ranked Oregon 3-0, and are currently on a three-game conference win streak.

This weekend the Sun Devils face an even tougher challenge as they host two ranked schools in No. 22 Washington State and No. 15 Washington.

Washington State

The Washington State Cougars have a 11-3 record on the year and are currently on a two-game win streak. Last week they were able to take down No. 25 Utah and No. 23 Colorado in Pullman.

Washington State’s only losses this season all came in a row as they fell to East Tennessee State at home, and Washington and Oregon on the road.

Senior outside hitter Taylor Mims has led the charge for the Cougars throughout this season so far. Mims has the most kills for her team with 223 kills, which is fifth most in the Pac-12. She averages 3.98 kills per match which is also ranked fifth in the Pac-12.

Mims is also effective on the defensive side as she also has 134 digs which is third on her team.

The leader on the defense for the Cougars is junior Alexis Dirige. The defensive specialist leads her team and is ranked fifth in the Pac-12 with 230 digs.

Last year when these teams met in Pullman the Cougars easily handles the Sun Devils, winning three sets to one. This year if the Sun Devils wish to return the favor they are going to have to continue their impressive play as of late.

Ivana Jeremic and Alyse Ford will have to have big games on both the offensive and defensive side. On defense  they will need to get good blocks up to try and disrupt Mims. If they can’t get those blocks up, then Mims could have a field day on the Sun Devil defense.

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On offense Jeremic and Ford will likely get the majority of the sets, but with coach Sanja Tomasevic’s consistently changing schemes there could be many Sun Devils who get kills.

If ASU plays with the confidence they had when they went into Oregon, it will be a very fun game to watch. If they come out the gate slow and lethargic, they could fall behind and will have a rough time of catching back up.

Washington

Last year the Huskies came into Tempe and barely escaped with a win. They lost the first two sets and were one away from being upset when they flipped the switch and won the next three sets. They won the match three sets to two and crushed the Sun Devils’ spirit after a heart-breaking loss.

This season the Huskies are one of the powerhouses in the nation yet again. With a record of 11-3 and coming off a fresh loss against Utah at home, the Huskies are going to look to turn it around and get back on track.

The only player that ranks in the top five in the Pac-12 for any category is senior Destiny Julye. She is ranked first in the Pac-12 with .41 aces per set.

With Julye as the only player ranked in the top five in a category, that means Washington has a versatile attack. There are nine players on their team that are 6 feet or taller, including three 6-foot-4 inch middle hitters.

The big key for who wins this game will be who controls the net. The Sun Devils have struggled this season at the center of the net and this will definitely put them to the test. The tallest player for the Sun Devils is Danica Krstonošic who is 6 feet 3 inches tall. Megan Beedie and Carmen Unzue will have to play nearly perfect games for the Sun Devils to put up a fight.

This may be one of the hardest matches of the season for the Sun Devils as the Huskies are in contention for a national championship. It should be a highly competitive and fun game to watch.

Next. ASU Volleyball: Tomasevic Continues to Improve Team Play. dark

It will be a revealing weekend for the Sun Devils. They play Washington State on Friday and Washington on Sunday. This challenge will reveal what kind of team ASU is. Look for Tomasevic to make some changes to her rotation to catch their opposition off guard and give the Sun Devils a chance to win.