Preview: No. 5 Stanford Women's Volleyball welcomes Utah State to The Farm
On Friday at 6:00 PM PT, No. 5 Stanford women’s volleyball will welcome Utah State to The Farm for their home opener. Stanford comes in at 4-2 overall while Utah State comes in at 1-4.
Last time out: Stanford defeated No. 23 Missouri on Tuesday 3-1.
RECAP: No. 5 Stanford women’s volleyball takes care of business against No. 23 Missouri
On Utah State: The Aggies are off to a rough start as their 1-4 record indicates. Their lone win is over Hawaii, who has been receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll. They also have lost a couple of five setters to Marquette and San Diego, two programs who also have received votes. Most recently, they lost to No. 21 Utah in straight sets, but they did get a set off No. 10 Texas A&M, so they’ve shown they can play.
Their top player is sophomore outside hitter Loryn Helgesen, who is averaging 3.06 kills per set. Senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow (2.60 kills per set) and sophomore outside hitter Andrea Simovski (2.65 kills per set) are also averaging north of two kills per set, doing a nice job.
Keys to the match: For Stanford the first thing they need to do is contain Helgesen, she’s the engine that makes this Aggie team go at all. If they can contain her, they should be in a good spot to win the match.
Secondly, Stanford needs to make they sure they simply play a clean match. As long as they execute their offense and stay in system, they should be fine.
Finally, Stanford needs to bring great energy at the start. They don’t want to drop an early set and give Utah State any belief. Come out strong and set the tone from the jump.
Prediction: I gotta roll with Stanford to sweep 3-0. That’s not intended as any disrespect to Utah State. It’s just that on paper, Stanford ought to take care of business in straight sets.
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