Syracuse University
19-9, 8-4
DePaul University
6-20, 0-11
Orange Still Unbeaten at Home
11/6/2009 9:36:22 PM | Volleyball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange (19-9, 7-4) extended its home unbeaten streak to 10 matches with a 3-0 sweep of DePaul (6-20, 0-11) on Friday night at Manley Field House. The eight conference wins matches Syracuse's BIG EAST win total from a year ago and strengthens the team's chances for its third-straight BIG EAST Championship bid.
“It was a well played match,” assistant coach Carol LaMarche said. “We snapped our losing streak and remained undefeated at home which is a great boost of confidence as we prepare for Notre Dame on Sunday.”
SU utilized a balanced offense to dismantle DePaul, senior middle blocker Sarah Morton led the team with 11 kills while junior middle blocker Hayley Todd had nine. Sophomore outside hitter Noemie Lefebvre and senior outside hitter Annabelle Pellerin chipped in eight and six kills, respectively. Rookie setter Laura Homann directed the Orange attack, dishing out a match-best 32 assists.
The Orange defense was just as evenly distributed, with 10 different athletes tallying digs. Senior libero Shanetha McLaurin led the back row defense with a match-high 13 digs while Homann had nine. Lefebvre and senior outside hitter Kacie MacTavish each posted eight back row pickups. Morton and Todd were the defensive leaders at the net, each with four total blocks.
The two teams played closely through the first set, tying on 12 separate occasions. With the score knotted 14-14, freshman middle blocker Samantha Hinz served three straight points to give the Orange a 17-14 lead before SU went on a 7-0, solidifying the 25-16 first-set victory.
The back-and-forth play continued into the second set, with the two teams trading points to a 23-23 tie, before the Orange pulled out the last two points to win, 25-23.
Syracuse put the match away in dominating fashion, outscoring the Blue Demons throughout the entirety of the set, closing out the 3-0 sweep with a 25-14 third-set victory.
The Orange returns to Manley Field House on Sunday, November 8 when it entertains league-leading Notre Dame at 2 p.m.
