Although the ASU volleyball team (10-10, 1-6 Pac-10) has lost eight of its last nine games, there is hope for the Sun Devils as they travel to Oregon this weekend.
The team will face No. 7 Oregon (15-4, 4-3) and No. 24 Oregon State (13-7, 2-5).
After the weekend, ASU will have faced a ranked opponent in seven consecutive games. That is the reality of a deep Pac-10 Conference.
“Both schools have had considerable success this year,” ASU coach Jason Watson said. “Both are very good teams, but they [play a] different style that we will have to adjust to.”
Despite the brutal schedule, ASU has had tremendous success playing in the state of Oregon.
“[We] understand the history and the success we have had in Oregon before,” Watson said. “Certainly [that] can give our team some confidence.”
Friday night, ASU plays a very experienced Ducks team in Eugene. For the first time in school history, UO advanced last year to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
“Oregon is a very well balanced team,” Watson said. “Our focus has to be on being good over a long period of time throughout the match.”
UO will likely get the ball to its best hitter, senior Gorana Maricic.
Last weekend, Maricic tallied an outstanding 32 kills against Washington, one off of her career high. She has tallied 17 20-plus kill games in the last two seasons.
However, ASU holds a dominant record (35-9) against the Ducks. The Sun Devils are also 16-6 versus UO all-time in Eugene.
Saturday, the team will head to Corvallis to play much-improved OSU. Last season, the Beavers finished ninth in the Pac-10 Conference at 10-20 overall.
“Oregon State is a very physical team, and [its players] will try to overpower you,” Watson said.
Watson added he believes the key to victory will be the defense.
“We have been working this week on our block[ing],” he said. “We need our right side to be able to slow down the outside attack.”
The team is currently 8-2 this season when winning the first game. Getting a head start against the Oregon schools will likely be necessary for victory.
“This weekend, we have an opportunity to compete against some nice teams,” Watson said. “We want to focus on staying on task and competing.”
Reach the reporter at ryan.g.campbell@asu.edu.
