Syracuse University
3-0
Sacramento State
2-1
Big Orange Tournament Champions
8/29/2009 10:57:28 PM | Volleyball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Freshman setter Laura Homann powered the Orange offense with a career-best 46 assists as Syracuse (3-0) claimed the Big Orange Tournament title in a five-match thriller, 3-2, against Sacramento State on Saturday, August 29 at Manley Field House.
Middle blocker Sarah Morton garnered tournament MVP honors after recording 30 kills, a .286 hitting percentage and 26 total blocks through three matches. Homann was named to the all-tournament team having logged 120 assists over the weekend.
Morton set the tone on both sides of the ball against Sacramento State, leading the team with 17 kills while registering a match-high 15 total blocks, helping the Orange out block the Hornets, 18-9. Sophomore Noemie Lefebvre added 15 kills, Kacie MacTavish had 13 and Annabelle Pellerin chipped in eight.
Defensively senior libero Shanetha McLaurin had a career-best 32 digs while MacTavish and Homann added 20 and 16 digs, respectively.
“It was a great all around effort tonight,” said assistant coach Carol LaMarche. “We lost out first two sets of the season, but we were able to regain our focus and play through the entire game. We knew Sacramento State was very sound defensively, so we just stayed focused and kept pounding the ball trying to hit our spots.”
Both teams came out firing in a back-and-forth first set, with neither team taking a lead of more than five points. Strong defensive play by McLaurin in the back row and Morton at the net helped the Orange outlast the Hornets, 25-20.
The back-and-forth play continued into the second set, before Sacramento State jumped out to a late-game 22-13 lead. Despite the deficit, Syracuse refused to go down without a fight, putting together a five-point run powered by a block assist by Morton and MacTavish and back-to-back solo stops by Morton. The comeback fell short, however as the Hornets took the second set, 25-20.
Sacramento State carried their momentum into game three, opening with a 5-0 run. SU battled back to knot the score a 10-10 and the close play continued as the two teams found themselves tied on seven separate occasions before the Hornets closed out a 25-23 third-set win.
A must-win fourth set for Syracuse was the most closely contested match of the night, as the two teams tied on 17 separate occasions. Deadlocked at 23-23 late in the game a Sacramento State attack error and a kill by Lefebvre gave Syracuse the 25-23 victory, forcing a fifth and final game.
The tournament hosts proved to be unstoppable in the deciding set, closing Sacramento State out with an 11-5 run ending the game, 15-9 and the match, 3-2.
Syracuse 3, Siena 0
Earlier in the day the Orange continued its dominating play against Siena, defeating the Saints, 3-0. Syracuse was never behind after the first five points and never trailed by more than two through its three sets with Siena.
MacTavish powered the Orange offense against Siena, registering a team-high 12 kills while junior Hayley Todd added eight. Morton and Pellerin recorded seven kills apiece while Lefebvre chipped in five. Homann steadily aided the SU attack, dishing out 35 assists.
McLaurin paced SU defensively, recording a match-high 16 digs while Morton matched a career best with seven solo blocks. Freshman Kayla-Al Kaluau made her collegiate debut logging one dig.
Syracuse jumped out to an early lead against Siena and never trailed for the entirety of the first set. Ahead 5-3, a block assist by MacTavish and Todd paved the way for junior Sarah Hayes to break the game open. Hayes served five straight points to put the Orange up 11-4 en route to a 25-16 first-set victory.
Hayes helped the Orange secure a second-set lead in similar fashion. With the game tied 5-5 the defensive specialist served eight straight to give SU a 12-6 lead it would never relinquish. Homann served four straight points later in the match to put SU up 20-11 as the hosts went on to win, 25-13.
Lefebvre helped take over the third set, serving seven straight points to break the game open, 21-14, as the Orange closed out the match with a 25-17 game-three victory.
The Orange hits the road for its next match against Niagara on Tuesday, September 1 at 6 p.m.
