Syracuse Feels the Marvoka injury in a 3-1 loss to Miami
By Brad Klein
CitrusTV Volleyball Beat Reporter
CORAL GABLES, FL – Syracuse (5-9, 2-5 Atlantic Coast) finally pieced together an ACC win last week against Virginia, but even Head Coach Leonid Yelin admitted the win was against a weak opponent. In the gauntlet that is the ACC, that is not going to be the case very often. In fact, every game on the schedule looks tougher going forward now that freshman phenom Marina Markova is most likely out for the year with a finger injury.
Syracuse ran into a legitimate Miami (8-7, 4-3 Atlantic Coast) team that defended their home court 3-1.
The Orange struck first with a thorough 25-18 first set. Polina Shemanova shined with five kills in the frame. Shemanova finished with a game high 22 kills, but the sophomore committed a game high eight attack errors as well.
Miami would capitalize on similar errors in the second set. Syracuse coughed up a mere .045 hitting percentage. The Hurricanes edged the Orange 25-19 in the second set. Miami scored the last eight points of the frame, including three service aces. The Hurricanes totalled six aces in the match.
The third set was the turning point. Miami prevailed in a 32-30 marathon, which seemed to deflate Coach Yelin’s squad. The Hurricane outside hitters were the x-factors in the frame. Junior Janet Kalaniuvalu piled up 17 kills in the match. Her freshman counterpart Kennedy Prince slammed 16 kills.
Miami used that momentum to win the fourth set 25-19.
This loss pins Syracuse further away from the upper echelon of the ACC, where the Orange sat last season. SU has now lost four of its last five matches.
Syracuse is back at it again on Sunday when they visit Florida State in Tallahassee.
bwklein@syr.edu | @BradKlein15
