With 19 wins this season, No. 24 ASU women’s volleyball once again faces the No. 1 team when it plays USC on Sunday. It will also play against No. 11 UCLA.
During the last weekend ASU played those two teams, it didn’t win a single set.
The lineup was in flux, particularly amongst middle blockers. Senior Whitney Follette changed positions, freshman Jasmine Koonts was concussed. This forced senior Andi Lowrance to play extra time.
“I feel like that was a completely different season,” ASU head coach Jason Watson said.
Now, the lineup is set; the freshman have been strategically placed with upperclassmen. Instead of internal turmoil, ASU can focus more on exploiting the other teams’ problems.
Those problems are few and far between for two of the best teams in the nation.
UCLA will attack ASU in an area the Sun Devil defense has struggled: slide attacks from the middle blocker.
Last time the two teams played, junior middle blockers Claire Felix and Jennie Frager dominated. They combined for 23 kills and had no errors on an incredible .639 hitting percentage.
“They killed us on the slide,” Arellano said. “We worked on that in practice.”
She said ASU needs to practice reading the ball and slowing it down.
The team often practices in a 5-1 rotation, which allows them to work on defending the slide. It’s more than they can do to limit USC’s biggest threat — senior outside hitter Samantha Bricio, who’s turning 21 on game day.
“She’s got a great serve,” junior outside hitter BreElle Bailey said.
It’s normal to focus on a team as a whole, but Watson said Bricio’s an emphasis.
“You have to put some focus on her,” he said. “It is a legitimate point-scoring serve.”
All ASU can do to prepare is to watch video and work on positioning.
“We don’t have anybody that can replicate that (serve),” Watson said.
She has led the Pac-12 in aces every year she’s been in college. This year, she has 72. Her 0.74 per set is more than double the next highest in the conference.
ASU also may not be able to replicate her hitting power. She hits hard from the back and lasers the ball through the block. Bricio’s 5.07 kills per set leads the Pac-12 and is third in the NCAA.
She’s not USC’s only weapon; the top-ranked Trojans are deep at nearly every position. Watson has said that his coaching staff has been trying to simplify the scouting report recently, and limiting it to a few key areas.
“When you focus on everything you get good at nothing,” he said. “Our job is to identify the patterns and the likely offensive series.”
Related Links:
Cassidy Pickrell, BreElle Bailey taking charge of ASU volleyball ahead of schedule
Jason Watson earns 200th career win as ASU volleyball tops Utah
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