Off To Milwaukee: Orange Qualifies for BIG EAST Tournament

Sunday, November 11

Women's Building

2:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Seton Hall

Seniors Joscie Kaup (left) and Cheryl Cobbina (right) capped off their Orange careers at home with a 3-1 win against Seton Hall, earning the eight-seed in the BIG EAST Tournament.

Off To Milwaukee: Orange Qualifies for BIG EAST Tournament

11/11/2007 7:06:21 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Box Score
BIG EAST Tournament Bracket

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange volleyball team celebrated the careers of seniors Cheryl Cobbina and Joscie Kaup prior to the match’s first serve against Seton Hall on Sunday in the Women’s Building. Four-and-a-half hours later, Syracuse is celebrating a berth into the 2007 BIG EAST Tournament after a 3-1 win against the Pirates.

“We did what we needed to do this weekend and that was win two,” said second-year Syracuse assistant coach Carol LaMarche. “It was our goal to reach the BIG EAST Tournament since practice opened in August. It’s a great feeling and we’re really looking forward to the opportunity ahead.”

Cobbina and sophomore Kacie MacTavish powered the Syracuse attack with 16 kills apiece. Sophomore Sarah Morton buried 14 kills while junior Brittany Kern collected 11. Freshman Mindy Stanislovaitis was the fifth member of the Orange in double-figures with 10 kills.

Redshirt-junior April Quigley directed the Syracuse attack with a team-high 60 assists while adding three kills and eight digs.

Kaup paced the Orange defense with a team-high 18 digs while MacTavish posted her 13^th double-double of the season after collecting 13. Sophomore Shanetha McLaurin added nine and Cobbina totaled seven.

Morton’s five solo blocks improved her season total to 72, eclipsing Jessica Paarlberg’s (1988-91) mark of 70 captured in 1988. Morton’s six total blocks led the Orange at the net.

The Orange jumped out to a two-game advantage following a 30-23 win in game one and a 30-25 victory in the second frame.

MacTavish’s five kills in game one led a Syracuse attack that tallied a .400 attack percentage. Cobbina and Kern buried a combined eight kills on 16 tries. Quigley guided the offense with 18 helpers.

The trio of Cobbina, Kern and MacTavish, who collected four kills each, ignited the Orange in game two.

After the Pirates cut the Orange advantage in half following a narrow 30-29 win in the third stanza, Syracuse controlled the pace of game four en route to a 30-26 triumph. Kaup’s seven digs led the Orange defense in the win.

The Orange advances to the BIG EAST Tournament for the sixth time under 13-year head coach Jing Pu. Syracuse earns the eight seed and will meet first-seeded No. 17 Louisville on Friday, November 16 at 1:30 p.m. (ET) Marquette’s Al McGuire Center, in Milwaukee, Wis., will play host to the eight-team field.