Syracuse Volleyball Gets First ACC Victory In Nearly 2 Years
By Josh Solomon | @JoshSolo29
This week for Syracuse Volleyball was different than normal. There were two games in the week, but it was different from the usual Friday/Sunday schedule. One game was on Wednesday and the other on Sunday. The Orange had two more chances at home to get their first ACC victory. But did they do it?
First, Syracuse took on Virginia Wednesday night in SU’s first ACC Network midweek action broadcast of the season. Heading into the match, Virginia was on a hot start to the season compared to last year. UVA was 15-4 this season, compared to an 11-17 record last year. To begin the match, SU held its ground with five straight points evening up the score early in the first set at 8-8. The Orange ended up excelling ahead in the middle points of the set and going up 25-19. In the second set though, it was all Virginia. The Cavaliers at one point had a 8-1 run, making the score 18-9. UVA took set two 25-19 and evened up the match at one set a piece. UVA took that momentum and ran with it taking a 2-1 lead with a 25-22 third set victory.
SU might have lost two sets in a row, but the team was far from defeated. The ‘Cuse rallied behind outside hitter Ava Palm, who delivered a season-high 20 kills and 13 digs in the match. The Orange took the fourth set 25-21, forcing a fifth. Early on Syracuse took a 3-0 lead with a kill from Palm included in those set of points. But past that point it seemed that no team had momentum. Syracuse and Virginia traded points back and forth up until the very end. UVA set had a 14-12 advantage late in the match before SU grabbed one more point, but it was too late. With a 15-13 fifth set victory, Virginia defeated Syracuse 3-2. The Orange’s losing streak in ACC play moved up to nine games with one last chance on Sunday to grab a win before heading down south.
This weekend’s matchup favored Syracuse the most of any ACC game this season. Virginia Tech came into Sunday’s match with just a 1-8 record in conference play. The Orange lost the opening set with a late triumph from the Hokies. VT took five of the final six points to win the set 25-21. In the second set, it was a ‘Cuse domination with 25-16 set victory. Helping lead the squad was once again grad student Ava Palm, alongside middle blocker Zharia Harris-Waddy. Palm finished the match with 19 kills and 10 digs while Harris-Waddy recorded 13 kills.
However, the two Orange players couldn’t stop the Hokies tight win in the third set, 25-21. But the fourth set was even tighter with SU somehow grabbing a 26-24 win after having to play in a win-by-two scenario. In a fifth set, Syracuse’s Skylar George blasted a final kill extending the squad to a 15-13 fifth-set victory and a 3-2 win over Virginia Tech. This win marked the ‘Cuse’s first conference victory in nearly two years.
After these two weeks at home, Syracuse heads back to North Carolina for its second ACC weekend in the state this season. SU is 13-9 on the season with a 1-9 record in ACC play. The Orange will first take on NC State on Friday night at 7. The Wolfpack are 11-7 on the year with a 6-4 record in the ACC.
