After beginning the Pac-10 season against four of the top 17 teams in the country, the ASU volleyball team gets a deserved break when they travel to Oregon to face the Ducks tonight and Oregon State on Saturday.
In matches against No. 2 USC, No. 10 UCLA, No. 12 Stanford and No. 14 California, the Sun Devils (5-7, 0-4) went up against teams with a combined record of 35-13 and the defending national champions three years running. Compare that with a Ducks squad that went 0-18 in the Pac-10 last year and a Beaver team that was 5-13, and ASU will have a good shot at notching its first Pac-10 victory.
However, don't chalk up a win just yet, as both teams are improved. OSU has started 2-1 in the conference and Oregon already notched a win over Washington State to go with its 9-4 overall record.
So, although winning may not be a foregone conclusion for ASU, it is a weekend in which they need victories very badly.
"It's vital for our morale," ASU coach Brad Saindon said. "They're better than last year, but these are teams I think we should beat."
The Sun Devils have begun the conference season 0-4, but their losing record has more to do with their schedule than how they have played. ASU was forced to play four of the five best Pac-10 teams in a row and would have needed to pull off a mini-miracle to steal a victory.
The closest the team came was in the first Pac-10 contest, when they took the first set from Cal and almost had Game 2 before stumbling.
Oregon is a team that had a tough go of it last season but seems to be on the rise. The Ducks began the year strong by winning the first two tournaments they played, jumping out to an 8-1 record. However, losses to Sacramento State, Oregon State and Washington before a win over WSU has moved their record to 9-4.
The biggest loss for Oregon this year, though, has nothing to do with its record. Senior outside hitter Lauren Westendorf was sidelined for the year when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament during the game against Oregon State. The team's top outside hitter (5.03 kills per game) is out for the year, and her career is likely over.
"It's tragic for her," Saindon said. "She's been a big part of that team improving."
Oregon State is a team that finished one match ahead of ASU in last year's final Pac-10 standings and has gotten off to a good start this year. The Beavers defeated Washington State and Oregon before losing to No. 1 Washington in their last match.
OSU needs just three more victories to equal their whole conference win total from last year.
The Beavers are led by senior outside hitter Allison Lawrence. Lawrence was a Pac-10 honorable mention selection last season and recently tallied her 1000th career kill against Oregon on Sept. 24.
With the Sun Devils playing against teams like Oregon and Oregon State, it would be hard to fault them for suffering a loss. They are on the road, these teams are not nationally ranked and the schedule is in its dog days.
However, the team is still in search of its first conference win and has every intention of coming out with fire.
"We have to go as hard as we can," Saindon said. "(The team) knows the importance of these matches."
Reach the reporter at kyle.odegard@asu.edu.
