This week, #8 Stanford women’s volleyball will welcome both Arizona State and Arizona to The Farm. On Thursday (tonight), they’ll face Arizona State at 7:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Bay Area. On Saturday, they’ll face Arizona at 12:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Los Angeles. Stanford comes in at 20-4 overall and 15-1 in the Pac-12. Arizona State comes in at 11-17 overall and 5-11 in the Pac-12. Arizona comes in at 14-13 overall and 4-12 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Saturday, Stanford completed a 3-0 sweep of UCLA. Caitie Baird led the way for Stanford with 14 kills and 5 digs.
RECAP: #8 Stanford WVB sweeps UCLA on the road
On Arizona State: It’s been a rough season for the Sun Devils. One of the few high points was a 3-2 victory at #15 Washington on October 21st. Outside of that, there hasn’t been a lot for them to get excited about.
Outside hitters Iman Isanovic (3.45 kills per set) and Marta Levinska (3.31 kills per set) continue to lead this Sun Devils team while outside hitter Geli Cyr is chipping in 2.03 kills per set. A big problem for this Sun Devils team is ball movement. They average 10.96 assists per set while their opponents average 12.39. Their service game is also not great as they average 1.25 service aces per set while their opponents average 1.66.
In their previous meeting against Stanford, the Sun Devils got beat in four sets (25-22, 23-25, 16-25, 16-25). When you consider that was in Tempe, it’s hard seeing the Sun Devils put up much of a fight tonight.
On Arizona: The Wildcats have a better overall record, but league play hasn’t gone as well for them. A lot of that has to do with them facing some cupcake teams at the start of the season. So, it’s kinda hard to compare their non-conference record with Arizona State’s in that regard. They dropped their first match of the year against the Sun Devils at home in four sets, so when you factor that in, it definitely seems like of the two teams, the Wildcats are the weaker team.
Outside hitters Sofia Maldonado Diaz (3.13 kills per set) and Jaelyn Hodge (3.02 kills per set) lead the way for the Wildcats. The problem is outside of them, they aren’t getting much help. There’s a real drop off after those two. One strength they do have as a team is net play. The Wildcats average 2.42 blocks per set while their opponents average 2.01.
In their first meeting with Stanford, the Wildcats got swept 3-0 (23-25, 22-25, 16-25). Given how tight the sets were, it’s possible the Wildcats pick one up on Saturday, but it’s tough seeing them win the match.
Keys to the matches: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is do their best to not allow the top players from either team to get going. If they can funnel balls away from their opponents’ top outside hitters and force others to beat them, that will go a long ways towards getting the sweep.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is move the ball well. That’s a strength they have over both of their opponents. If they are controlling points, moving the ball well, and setting up Kendall Kipp, Caitie Baird, and Elia Rubin with easy kills, it should be a long weekend for the opposition. Or perhaps a short weekend, pending on how you look at it.
Finally, Stanford needs to keep up the intensity at the net. Net play has been a strength of Stanford’s all season long as they average 2.70 blocks per set to their opponents’ 2.09. If they keep that pace up at the net, I like their chances.
Prediction: Stanford is at home and they are the better team. I got Stanford winning both matches with ease. I’m going to be bold here and say they sweep both teams 3-0. They did it to the Los Angeles schools when they came to The Farm, so it’s definitely doable.
To connect with CardinalSportsReport.com on Facebook and Twitter, click here.
To connect with Ben Parker on Facebook and Twitter, click here.
