Junior Kacie MacTavish and the rest of the Syracuse volleyball team are in Pittsburgh for the BIG EAST Championship.
Orange Prepares for Louisville Rematch in BIG EAST Opening Round
11/20/2008 10:06:02 PM | Volleyball
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PITTSBURGH, Pa. - After finishing the 2008 regular season 17-14 overall including an 8-6 conference record, the Syracuse volleyball team clinched a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament for the second consecutive season. The No. 6 seed Orange travels to Pittsburgh, Pa. to face the No. 3 seed Louisville Cardinals, Friday Nov. 21 at 3:30 p.m. in Fitzgerald Field House.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - After finishing the 2008 regular season 17-14 overall including an 8-6 conference record, the Syracuse volleyball team clinched a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament for the second consecutive season. The No. 6 seed Orange travels to Pittsburgh, Pa. to face the No. 3 seed Louisville Cardinals, Friday Nov. 21 at 3:30 p.m. in Fitzgerald Field House.
BIG EAST Tournament Coverage
The BIG EAST Conference will stream the quarterfinals and semifinals live online at www.bigeast.tv. The six championship contests can be seen by purchasing a volleyball championship package for a one-time price of $9.95.
Orange fans can also follow Syracuse through the BIG EAST Tournament Central page via live stats and a live blog which will be updated throughout the match.
Orange fans can also follow Syracuse through the BIG EAST Tournament Central page via live stats and a live blog which will be updated throughout the match.
The BIG EAST Volleyball Championship match will air live on ESPNU on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3 p.m.
Last Time Out
Syracuse solidified its BIG EAST Tournament hopes over the past weekend, defeating Pittsburgh, 3-1, and West Virginia, 3-0, in its final home matches of the season. Junior Sarah Morton led the SU attack through the two matches, combining for 23 kills. Junior captain Kacie MacTavish and freshman Noemie Lefebvre added 19 kills and 18 kills, respectively. Senior April Quigley propelled the Orange offense, dishing out 82 assists during the weekend.
Adding to her impressive weekend, Morton led the Syracuse defense contributing 15 total blocks, while Lefebvre recorded a team-best 21 digs. Senior defensive specialist Marissa Kanemura was second on the team with a two-match total of 18 digs.
Senior Day
Prior to Syracuse’s 3-0 sweep of West Virginia last Sunday, the five graduating Syracuse seniors – Emily Kaier, Marissa Kanemura, Brittany Kern, Jacki Kliment and April Quigley – were honored in a pre-game ceremony. Outstanding in the class room and on the court, all five were members of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll every semester and garnered BIG EAST All-Academic team honors.
Over her four-year career, Kaier has recorded 287 kills and added 79 total blocks in 71 matches played.
Kanemura – who joined the team prior to the 2007 season – compiled 420 digs and is ranked second on the team with 11 service aces.
Kern led the Orange with a .348 attack percentage in 2007 – a mark that ranked third on SU’s single-season charts. Over four years she amassed 570 kills and 237 total blocks while adding 53 service aces.
Kliment recorded 73 digs and 17 service aces in 57 matches played over her four-year career.
The primary setter for the Orange in 2008, Quigley’s 3,492 career assists ranks fifth on SU’s career record list. A 2007 ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America team member, Quigley has also added 288 career kills, 45 service aces and 183 total blocks.
A Familiar Foe
Syracuse will have the opportunity to face Louisville for a second time this season. In the first meeting between the two teams on Oct. 26 in Syracuse’s Women’s Building, Louisville won the first set, 25-22, before the Orange rallied to a 25-16 second set victory. The Cardinals halted SU’s rally taking the third and fourth sets – 25-11 and 25-18, respectively – and securing a 3-1 match victory.
Lefebvre paced the SU attack against Louisville with 17 kills, while Morton and MacTavish added 10 and nine kills, respectively. Sophomore Hayley Todd added seven kills and Quigley tallied 39 assists for the day.
Defensively, Kanemura, junior Shanetha McLaurin and MacTavish set the tone with 11 digs each. Lefebvre added 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the season, while Morton’s five total blocks were a match-high.
Syracuse also faced Louisville in the 2007 BIG EAST Tournament. The then eighth-seeded Orange could not overcome top-seeded Louisville, bringing its season to a close with a 3-0 loss in the opening round.
MacTavish, Kern and then senior Cheryl Cobbina led the Orange with 10 kills apiece. Kern had a team-best .529 attack percentage on the day, while Quigley chipped in 34 assists.
Louisville Series
The Orange enters Friday’s match seeking its first-ever victory against the Cardinals. Entering the match Louisville leads the all-time series, 10-0, dating back to 1982. Additionally, Syracuse has faced Louisville twice in postseason play since the Cardinals began competing in the BIG EAST in 2005. In addition to meeting in the 2007 BIG EAST Tournament, the two teams faced off in the second round of the 2005 BIG EAST Tournament with Louisville emerging victorious, 3-2.
Next Up
Should Syracuse advance past Louisville to the second round, it will meet the winner of the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati match on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 3:30 p.m.
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