It was erected in 1974 and has housed thousands of NCAA athletic events ever since. Whether it is basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, or volleyball, this venue has seen it all. In 2010, it continues to be a focal point on ASU’s Tempe campus. This is Wells Fargo Arena.
For the ASU volleyball team, it is home.
The Sun Devils (1-2) will defend home court for the first time this season during the ASU Sheraton Classic on Friday and Saturday. ASU will host and compete in three matches during the weekend.
The team hopes to use home court advantage throughout the event.
“We like playing in here,” coach Jason Watson said. “We play a lot of volleyball in here. Part of it, I think, is there is something special playing in Wells for our athletes.”
Playing at home is, in fact, special for the Sun Devils. Having the home fans in attendance for support makes a great difference for those competing on the court.
“Anyone loves playing at home, it’s hard playing on the road, especially when no one is there that you know watching you,” sophomore outside hitter Ashley Kastl said. “For me, it’s nice because I have my family here watching me, I know people here who are here to support me.”
The Sun Devils play their 2010 home opener Friday afternoon against a talented Seattle team.
“Seattle is a team philosophically very much like us,” Watson said. “They’re in this defense package that is like us. There is some familiarity to what it is they are trying to do.”
The marquee matchup of the tournament for ASU comes against San Diego State on Friday night. The Aztecs (3-0) visit Tempe riding a three-game winning streak to open the season.
“San Diego State had a nice win against Cincinnati at home,” Watson said. “We’ll see how they do when they get on the road.”
The Sun Devils are 5-12 all time against the Aztecs and will have to combat SDSU’s strong, physical presence on the court.
“They are a young team, a pretty physical team,” Watson said. “A lot of the kids that they have recruited are pretty physical. That is going to pose a problem for us.”
The Sun Devils close out their weekend with Utah State on Saturday afternoon.
The Aggies are led by coach Grayson DuBose, someone who Watson has respects a great deal. Watson coached at Brigham Young, about two hours south of USU, before coming to ASU.
“Utah State is another really well-coached team,” Watson said. “Their coach is incredibly talented and has a great staff. They did a nice job opening against Utah in the in-state rivalry.”
ASU may be without senior libero Sarah Johnson this weekend after she suffered a nose fracture during last weekend’s tournament. Watson is unsure when a decision will be made on her availability.
“We are trying to see where she is as we go through this week,” Watson said. “If she’s not available, we’ve got Jenny [Teslevich], we’ve got Bethany [Jorgensen]. We’ll probably look to both of those two to see who is comfortable and who is ready to go in that area.”
ASU’s games on Friday are scheduled for noon and 7 p.m. The Sun Devils wrap up the weekend Saturday at noon.
Reach the reporter at Gregory.dillard@asu.edu
