Conventional wisdom says the ASU volleyball team cannot compete with California.
The Golden Bears advanced to the 16th round in last year's NCAA Tournament, and the team is currently ranked 16th in the nation.
However, 'conventional wisdom' does not play the matches, the players do. And Sun Devil coach Brad Saindon thinks that ASU has a legitimate shot at knocking off the Golden Bears tonight in Berkeley, Calif., in the teams' Pac-10 opener.
"They have a well-earned reputation, but a lot of that reputation was formed last year," Saindon said. "They are a completely different team this year, and they have some deficiencies that I think we can exploit."
The main deficiency Saindon speaks of is the absence of two-time All-American Mia Jerkov from the lineup. Jerkov, scheduled to be a senior this season, decided against going back to Cal in favor of focusing on training with the Croatian national team. The outside hitter will be a huge loss for the Golden Bears, as she led the Pac-10 in kills per game last season.
Without Jerkov, California has shown some weakness early, as it has lost three of the past four matches and has dropped from No. 8 to No. 16 in the polls.
ASU and Cal sport identical 5-3 records.
The Sun Devils head into the matchup in less than ideal conditions. First and foremost, ASU could only get in three days worth of practice this week. Add to that a delayed flight on Sunday coming back from Long Beach, Calif., and an illness floating around the team, and the Sun Devils will have their work cut out just to field a healthy and energized team.
"It was a hard week, and it all kind of accumulates on their backs," Saindon said. "But as I told them, we're going to have to rise above that."
The contest with the Golden Bears will mark the first time that the Sun Devils' seven freshmen will compete in a Pac-10 match, and they are trying to pick up tidbits from the older players to prepare.
"[The veteran players] have a lot more experience and they have played against these teams for the last couple of years, so it's good to use their knowledge and go based off of what they know," freshman middle blocker Colette Meek said.
Even if the younger players feel like they are ready for conference action, senior Stephanie Kohner explains that you can never be truly prepared for what is to come.
"No matter what, when you step out and play your first Pac-10 match there is so much emotion going through you," the defensive specialist said. "When they get out there it will really hit them."
Kohner should know, as her first conference match was against UA.
"It was very nerve-racking, but I tried to hide it as best I could," Kohner said. "It's a rush."
California is led by upstart freshman Angie Pressey. Pressey, an outside hitter, had 18 kills in the team's last match against UC Irvine, earning her a selection on the Waikiki Beach Marriott Volleyball Invitational all-tournament team.
The Sun Devils will follow up the match with a trip to Stanford to take on the Cardinal. Stanford is ranked No. 12 in the nation this year, but is not as dominating as in years past.
Reach the reporter at kyle.odegard@asu.edu
