Syracuse Volleyball Accepts Defeat for Third Time This Season

By Annie Klaff

CitrusTV Volleyball Beat Reporter

After coming off of a strong weekend at home and hitting the road yet again, Syracuse fell tonight with a straight-set loss. In South Bend, Indiana, Notre Dame swept SU in three quick sets. The Fighting Irish did not even allow the Orange to make it into the 20’s all night. 

Tonight was the first time for Syracuse getting shut out this season. In addition, tonight marked the first of the year to not reach 20 points in any set. 

What hurt the Orange tonight were errors, tallying on 18. This is 12 more than the Orange’s strong and clean performance against Virginia Tech last Sunday. 

The Fighting Irish dominated on all areas of the court. Notre Dame tripled SU’s blocks and were pretty close to doubling in points as well. The third set showed the Orange holding on the tightest. Syracuse remained behind by three points for the majority of the set, but ND pulled away once they hit 20 points. 

Individually, players for the Orange were simply not on their game. Team kill leaders, Marina Markova and Polina Shemanova were unable to hit double digits in kills. Additionally, play-maker Elena Karakasi recorded her season lowest in assists with just 13. For comparison, her season high is 48 from just a few weeks ago. 

In the past, competing against Notre Dame has always been tough for Syracuse. SU hasn’t been able to defeat ND in four straight match-ups, all of which have been away. 

After tonight’s tough loss, Syracuse dropped one spot in the ACC table, now standing at fourth in the conference. 

Whether Syracuse’s performance tonight was because of leaving the comfort of being at home last weekend or Notre Dame’s strong winning streak, they have just one day to rest before their biggest test yet. And, they’ll have to shake off that away feeling yet again on Sunday when they hit the court in Kentucky. ‘Cuse challenges third ranked Louisville on Sunday at 1 P.M. 

aklaff@citrustv.net | @annieklaff