Junior setter Bianca Arellano sets the ball in a game against Oregon State, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. ASU lost 3-2. (Photo by Ben Moffat)Junior setter Bianca Arellano has helped ASU become a force in the Pac-12 by linking prior relationships with teammates, old and new.
ASU alumnae Stephanie Preach and Jenny Teslevich, both liberos who graduated in 2013, went to Xavier High School in Phoenix with Arellano. While there, Preach was the setter for Arellano’s first two years in high school while Arellano played libero.
“When she got (to ASU) before I got here, she made the switch to libero, so it’s kind of funny,” Arellano said. “I used to be passing to her, and then she was passing to me.”
Junior setter Bianca Arellano serves the ball during the ASU vs Colorado volleyball game at the Wells Fargo Arena on Nov. 2, 2014. Arellano has been a key player for the Sun Devils with 17 double doubles this season. (Photo by Daniel Kwon)She said she learned a lot about the position from Preach in terms of ball movement and communicating.
“She’s a very good communicator on the court, which helped me as a setter,” Arellano said.
There are many leaders on the court. Junior outside hitter Macey Gardner is one of them, with her calm, dominant play and determined mindset. Senior setter Shannan McCready is a leader on defense and in terms of experience, and her constant smile can keep teammates from getting down.
Arellano is the vocal leader of the squad, and much of that came from Preach.
“I think a lot of your energy sparks from the setter,” Arellano said. “I think it’s really important that I don’t get down on myself. I’ve always gotta be loud; I’ve always gotta put a smile on everyone’s face.”
Gardner has established herself as one of the Pac-12's best hitters and as such, the expectation for her is to lead.
However, there are setbacks to being a leader while playing Gardner's position. Hitter typically get blocked more often than other players, which can make it difficult to stay position, but Gardner said Arellano's presence and positivity helps her on the court.
“She’s the vocal leader on the court," Garnder said. "There’s no doubt about it. She’s the setter; she’s the leader, and I’m just kind of here for backup support. She’s definitely taken that role and ran with it.”
It's lofty praise for a floor general who almost didn't become a Sun Devil.
Coming out of high school, Arellano opted to play for the University of Tennessee, but after just one season with the Volunteers, she transferred back to her home state and became a Sun Devil.
Junior setter Bianca Arellano sets the ball for junior outside hitter Macey Gardner at the beginning of the third set of the ASU vs Oregon volleyball game at the Wells Fargo Arena on Nov. 11, 2014. Arellano would set a career high for herself in that game with 62 assists. (Photo by Daniel Kwon)She transferred for multiple reasons.
In terms of the game plan, Tennessee ran an offense that Arellano referred to as a “modified 6-2” that consisted of bigger pins and a slow tempo.
Although ASU’s plan isn’t as fast as some schools in the Pac-12, it’s much quicker than Tennessee's, and Arellano prefers the speed.
Arellano also said that she missed home while playing in Tennessee and that ASU allowed her to remain close with her family and to play alongside former teammates.
This helped provide her with a better connection to the team than the one she had at Tennessee.
“Chemistry-wise here, everybody is super welcoming,” she said. “Not that they weren’t at Tennessee, but I think that it’s just a better fit, more comfortable talking and communicating with number one, the coach and number two, the players.”
Junior setter Bianca Arellano sets the ball for junior middle blocker Whitney Follettein a home game against University of Washington, Friday, Oct. 17 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. The Huskies swept the Sun Devils, 3-0. (Photo by Ben Moffat)When Arellano returned to the Valley, ASU’s lineup consisted of Preach and Teslevich along with current teammates Gardner and middle blocker Andi Lowrance.
Both of them played with Arellano on a club team called Club Red in high school, and Lowrance began playing with her when Arellano first picked up a ball in the third grade.
At the age of 9, the two of them were on the Arizona Junior club team for 12-year-olds with their sisters.
“(Arellano)’s one of the most athletic people I know; she’s very quick,” Lowrance said. “She’s very good at anticipating where the ball is going to be.”
Junior Bianca Arellano sets the ball for junior Whitney Follette during their match against Oregon. The Sun Devils lost 1-3. (Photo by Diana Lustig)She also said that Arellano has helped her transition back and forth between middle and outside hitter. Lowrance has been placed in both situations, and the relationship the two have makes it easier.
“You just need some sort of connection that goes beyond just saying, ‘The ball goes here,’” Lowrance said.
That connection is similar between Arellano and Gardner.
“We always talk about this weird thing where she calls a different set, but I set the set that she wanted anyway,” Arellano said. “It’s pretty funny.”
The offense is more developed than it has been in the past, and Arellano’s a large reason why. She has a knack for reading the defense and observing where her teammates are calling for the ball, delivering pinpoint passes that may or may not be over-the-head, no-look sets.
Junior setter Bianca Arellano celebrates a point in the third set during the match vs Washington State on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014, at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. The Sun Devils would rally from two sets down to beat the Cougars 3-2. (Photo by Daniel Kwon)Arellano has also been working with coach Jason Watson to incorporate the middles more into the offense. Middle blocker Mercedes Binns has seen a large increase in attempts due to more options in the playbook that she became in tune with while middle blocker Whitney Follette was injured in September and October. Since Oct. 19, Binns is hitting just over .300.
Doing so not only gives the offense more weapons, but allows the outside hitters to have more lanes to attack.
“That allows the outside hitters to have seams,” Gardner said. “If the other team is worried about Mercedes and her offensive trouble, then that allows me to have a split-second (extra).”
In addition to incorporating the middles and spreading the floor, Arellano’s ability to read the defense leads to different plays such as the “three-hut,” which allows her to isolate the hitter or overload the setter.
“It’s just a matter of feeding who’s hot and then reading the block and then going the opposite way,” she said.
Additionally, her setter attack has proved to be incredibly efficient. Instead of passing the dug ball to a hitter, she turns her body and taps it hard over the net, shocking the defense into action.
She said this keeps the blockers honest if they cheat out toward other hitters and is useful when ASU’s attacks are frequently getting dug. It’s a different look that surprises the defenders and rarely results in an error.
With 1,192 assists, Arellano leads the Pac-12, and is twenty-third in the entire NCAA. She has helped lead ASU to a 17-11 record and a respectable 7-9 Pac-12 record.
“She’s working really hard in the gym and we, especially as a hitter, I appreciate everything she’s doing,” Gardner said. “She’s working hard, and she’s ready to go to work every day.”
Reach the reporter atlogan.newman@asu.eduor follow him on Twitter @Logan_Newsman
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