As the ASU volleyball team moves into the final month of regular season play, consistency on the court becomes more vital than ever.
The Sun Devils (10-13, 4-6 Pac-10) look to put together consistent performances against Oregon State on Friday and No. 20 Oregon on Saturday in hopes of earning a weekend sweep.
ASU realizes that consistent play from the opening serve to the final point is necessary if it wants to win in the Pac-10.
“We’re going to try and be us for as long as possible and as consistent as possible,” freshman setter Stephanie Preach said. “We need to pass. That’s it. We need to do that the entire time. We can’t pick and choose. We have to stay on task start to finish.”
ASU suffered a disappointing 1-3 loss against the Ducks (16-7, 4-7) but defeated the Beavers (8-17, 1-10) 3-2 in comeback fashion earlier this season in Oregon.
The weekend’s first matchup comes Friday against a Beavers squad that has lost nine in a row.
Despite rallying to win three consecutive sets after falling in a 0-2 hole against OSU in October, the Sun Devils are seeking to not only finish strong, but to start strong this time around.
“Last time we played them, we weren’t on task,” junior middle blocker Sonja Markanovich said. “We weren’t paying attention to tendencies. We put ourselves in a hole, which we had to spend the whole game climbing out of. If we come out strong and we come out playing with a sense of urgency, we’ll definitely have a chance of beating them.”
OSU senior outside hitter Jill Sawatzky leads the way for the Beaver offense with her 374 kills this season. Sawatzky also ranks fourth in the Pac-10 career kills category with 1,393 career kills.
Saturday night’s matchup will feature the Ducks who have been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 poll for 56 straight weeks.
UO is mired in a four-match losing streak, but has been victorious in seven of the last nine matches against ASU.
In their 1-3 loss in Eugene, missed opportunities plagued the Sun Devils, ultimately costing them the match.
“We had these leads and they kind of evaporated because for whatever reason, we weren’t taking care of the ball,” ASU coach Jason Watson said. “So our offense suffered a little bit and became a little predictable.”
ASU’s passing game will affect whether or not the Sun Devils can hold leads against the Ducks.
Watson remains confident in his team’s ability to pass even after their passing performance fluctuated against No. 23 UA last Friday.
“We can do this skill at a high level,” Watson said. “We’ve got to choose to respond and stay in these routines. Teams are going to put some pressure on us, and we just can’t panic. We have to relax.”
Watson believes that while OSU and UO have very different win-loss records, neither team is short on talent.
“If we have learned anything in the three years that we’ve been here, it’s that all of these teams are good,” Watson said. “If you’re not going to prepare and compete, then it’s not going to be an easy night for you. You can’t assume anything. We’ve got to go compete, otherwise we’re going to have some regrets.”
Reach the reporter at gregory.dillard@asu.edu
