It all comes down to one match for the ASU volleyball team, as it hosts UA Friday with a possible bid to the NCAA tournament on the line.
The Sun Devils (14-14, 6-11) need to finish with a winning record to be eligible for a postseason invite, so they will have to defeat the rival Wildcats (13-16, 4-13) to have a chance.
"It's pretty exciting that we've played all year and now we're right at .500 and get to play UA at home," coach Brad Saindon said. "What more could you ask for?
"It's maybe the most meaningful match that these athletes have ever played. If we win, I think we get in."
When the two teams first met Sept. 22, ASU used late comebacks in the third and fourth games to win the match 3-1, its first victory over UA since 2003 and first win in Tucson in seven years.
The Wildcats are one of the youngest teams in the conference, with seven freshmen and four sophomores, so Saindon said he feels they will have improved since that first matchup.
"They are a young team and have young players on the court, but those players have gotten better over the course of the year," he said. "I know they are better, but I think we're better too."
UA, which began the season ranked No. 18 in the nation, will miss the NCAA tournament this year for the first time since 1995 and will have its first losing season since 1992.
However, after losing 12 of their first 13 Pac-10 matches, the Wildcats have won three of their last four. That includes victories over Oregon and Washington State, both of whom they lost to earlier in the season.
UA also leads the Pac-10 with 3.44 blocks per game, and junior middle blocker Dominique Lamb is second in the conference with 167 blocks, so Saindon said his team will have to be aware of UA's size advantage.
"They are a very good blocking team, but I think if we pass and run our offense, we can negate their size," he said.
Friday's match will also be the final home match for the three Sun Devil seniors - outside hitters Nicole Morton and Nina Reeves and middle blocker Tierra Burnley.
Morton, who led the Sun Devils in kills each of the past two seasons, again leads the team this year with 327. That is Morton's career high and gives her three straight seasons with 300 or more kills.
Reeves is just behind Morton with 322 kills, which is her highest season total in three years at ASU, although she had 365 as a freshman at UTEP before transferring.
Burnley, who has become a regular starter in the last part of the season, has 138 kills and 60 blocks this year.
A win over UA could mean they get to end their Sun Devil careers with their first trip to the NCAA tournament.
"I want it so badly for these seniors, and I know they want it," Saindon said. "They've never been to the tournament. We all want it badly for them, and I'm just so hopeful we get a chance."
In addition, though it would take one of her best performances of the season, ASU junior libero Sydney Donahue has a chance to reach the Pac-10's single-season digs record Friday.
She currently leads the conference with 671 digs, so she would need 37 against UA to reach the record of 708 set by UCLA's Chrissie Zartman in 2004.
Reach the reporter at Matthew.Storey@asu.edu.
