Before the season began, many members of the ASU volleyball team said they thought the Sun Devils had a good chance to pull off major upsets and defeat highly ranked teams.

After defeating then-No.14 UCLA at home last weekend, the Sun Devils (11-3, 1-1 Pac-10) are looking to notch an even bigger upset this weekend.

ASU hits the road this weekend to take on No. 3 Washington (12-0, 2-0 Pac-10) on Friday night and Washington State (12-1, 1-1) on Saturday night. The matches will be the first two road contests in Pac-10 play for the Sun Devils.

UW has yet to lose a single set this year, going 36-0, despite playing some highly ranked opponents. The Huskies swept No. 5 Florida and No. 8 Minnesota on neutral courts and No. 7 Oregon on the road.

UW has also lost only three regular-season home matches in the last three seasons combined.

Despite all of this, ASU does not seem the least bit intimidated.

“Washington has a similar system to ours, so when we practice [for them], it’s just like a normal practice,” senior middle blocker Paige Mittelstaedt said. “It’s the same sort of defensive style and offensive style for them, so we just have to keep playing our game and do all we can to put ourselves in a good spot.”

The calm team demeanor comes as a reflection of ASU coach Jason Watson, who has a history of big upsets against UW.

In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Watson’s unranked BYU team marched into Seattle and defeated the sixth-ranked Huskies in the second round.

Still, Watson knows the Huskies present a staunch challenge.

“Washington is this incredibly efficient team, very low error, essentially playing volleyball very well for a really long period of time,” Watson said. “So that’s a challenge for everybody that goes and plays them. And we’re doing it at their place, where they have been incredibly successful over the years.”

The Huskies are led by two-time National Defensive Player of the Year Tamari Miyashiro.

Miyashiro, a senior libero, was also named a Second Team All-American last year and is the Huskies’ all-time leader in digs.

Watson said avoiding Miyashiro on serves is key.

“The goal would be not to serve her, but she does take up a lot of area and is a very nice libero,” he said. “Offensively, I don’t know if there’s anything we can do about that. But certainly, when we’re at the service line, the goal is to make some other people carry a much bigger load.”

WSU also presents a big challenge for the Sun Devils. The Cougars have five players with more than 100 kills, led by senior outside hitter Jackie Albright’s 154.

Senior setter Renee Bordelon is second in the Pac-10 in assists per set with 11.89, and senior middle blocker Cassie Robbins is second in the Pac-10 in blocks per set with 1.38.

“Washington State had a tremendous nonconference season,” Watson said. “They are very physical in the middle, and they have a nice setter that’s running a very balanced offense.”