Syracuse drops another ACC match with a 3-0 straight sets loss to #1 Pitt

As the saying goes, in order to be the best, you have to beat the best. Syracuse Volleyball had a chance to do that today as they took on number one Pitt.  Unfortunately for the Orange, it was a 3-0 straight-sets victory for the Panthers, who have only lost one set this entire season. Even with the straight sets loss though, SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam had a few positive takeaways the team could implement for the rest of the season. 

We had some phases where we were competing with them neck to neck. It shows us that this team is the number one team in the country, only lost one set so far going into I think the 14th match or so. That kind of shows you the level they’re competing at. And it’s a good sign for us that we are capable of competing at that level.

It’s just all mentality. I don’t even let those thoughts creep into my mind of like, (1:00:50) what if I make a mistake or their block is so big. (They’re just another team at the end of the day, to be honest. Like they’re number one, but we’ve seen blocks just as big as them in our preseason. So I think it was really just all mentality. 

After today’s loss, Syracuse is still without an ACC win. SU has lost its last four contests in a row against conference opponents. Up next for the Orange is a trip out to California. First up is another top-five opponent fifth-ranked Stanford. Opening serve for that match is on Friday at 10 p.m. 

Reporting from the Women’s Building, 

Josh Solomon, Citrus TV.