This weekend, #7 Stanford women’s volleyball will head to the desert to face the Arizona schools on the road. On Friday, they’ll face Arizona at 6:00 PM PT on Arizona Live Stream. On Sunday, they’ll face Arizona State at 3:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks.
Stanford comes in at 10-4 overall and 5-1 in the Pac-12. Arizona comes in at 11-6 overall and 1-5 in the Pac-12. Arizona State comes in at 8-10 overall and 2-4 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Sunday, Stanford swept Utah 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-20) on the road. Elia Rubin led the way for Stanford with 13 kills, 3 assists, and 8 digs.
RECAP: #8 Stanford WVB gets the sweep at Utah
On Arizona: Arizona got off to a fantastic start in the non-conference with a 10-1 record, but conference play has been another story for them. They’ve really struggled to get rolling after entering conference play with some momentum. And they didn’t play a totally cupcake non-conference schedule, defeating Maryland and Wake Forest with their lone loss being a to North Carolina in five sets.
Outside hitter Jaelyn Hodge leads the team with 3.06 kills per set while outside hitter Sofia Maldonado Diaz averages 2.85 kills per set. They’re the top two offensive players on this Wildcats team and really do a lot to get their team rolling. Libero/defensive specialist Kamaile Hiapo averages 3.96 digs per set, doing a nice job in the back row.
Overall, this Wildcats team appears to have some promise as is evident by their non-conference play, but for whatever reason Pac-12 play has not been kind to them. Facing Stanford this weekend doesn’t help them get back on track but facing Cal on Sunday should help them as the Golden Bears are still winless in league play.
On Arizona State: The Sun Devils didn’t have the non-conference run that Arizona had, but they’ve been better in league play, notching wins at Arizona and at Oregon State. Like Arizona, facing Stanford is not going to be easy for them, but they should pick up a win in their first matchup of the weekend against Cal.
Outside hitters Marta Levinska (3.13 kills per set) and Iman Isanovic (3.20 kills per set) are the top offensive players for the Sun Devils. They both form a really balanced duo, so either way you gotta pick your poison. Libero Annika Larson-Nummer is averaging 2.73 digs per set, providing a sound defensive presence for her team.
While off to a bit of a shaky start in Pac-12 play, the Sun Devils got a solid team that deserves to be respected. They play hard and have shown they are capable of competing against quality teams if given the chance.
Keys to the weekend: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is keep Kendall Kipp (4.15 kills per set) and Caitie Baird (3.12 kills per set) rolling. If they do their thing, Stanford should win both matches this weekend without much issue.
Secondly, Stanford needs to keep their pressure up at the net. Sami Francis (1.52 blocks per set) and McKenna Vicini (1.24 blocks per set) are both fantastic net players who are playing really good defense up front. If they keep the intensity up, Stanford is going to be tough to stop.
Finally, Stanford needs to keep stepping up in tight moments. Stanford often finds themselves in tight sets, but the find ways to pull away late. If they keep that magic going, I like their chances to win both matches this weekend.
Prediction: I got Stanford winning both matches and I think we’ll see a similar result to what we saw last week. I see Stanford sweeping Arizona tonight 3-0 and defeating Arizona State in four sets on Sunday.
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