Syracuse University
Connecticut
Orange Opens BIG EAST Play at Home
10/8/2010 10:40:57 AM | Volleyball
| Syracuse (18-2, 1-2)) vs. Connecticut (2-12, 0-3) and St. John's (13-7, 0-3) | |
| Match 21 | Friday, October 8, 2010 | 7 p.m. |
| Match 22 | Sunday, October 10, 2010 | 2 p.m. |
| Location | Women's Building | Syracuse, N.Y. |
| Game Day | Live Stats | Mobile Live Stats |
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse (18-2, 1-2) opens BIG EAST play at home when it hosts Connecticut (2-12, 0-3) and St. John's (13-7, 0-3) in a two-match weekend home stand. The Orange entertains the Huskies on Friday, October 8 at 7 p.m. before welcoming St. John's to the Women's Building on Sunday, October 10 at 2 p.m. There is no charge for admission and free parking is available adjacent to the building in the Women's Building North and South lots.
Team Notes
• The Orange looks to rebound from a 3-1 loss to Villanova last Saturday and crack the BIG EAST top five this weekend … Historically, eight BIG EAST wins has been the lucky number, guaranteeing a team a bid to the conference championship … SU has qualified for the BIG EAST Championship each of the past three seasons.
• Syracuse's 18-2 record marks the best season start through the first 20 matches since 1991, when the team also went 18-2 through its first 20.
• SU opened the season on a 17-match win streak, the longest win streak in NCAA Division I volleyball to date.
• The Orange won 30-straight sets from Sept. 4 to Sept. 18, defeating 10 opponents in sweeps
• Syracuse has outhit its opponents .306 to .176 this season ... The Orange has hit .320 or better on 11 occasions, including three matches when it hit better than .400 as a team ... In contrast, SU has held opponents to a hitting percentage of .200 or less on 12 occasions, including three matches where opponents hit less than .075.
• Through its first 20 matches, Syracuse is averaging 13.54 kills per set, compared to 11.42 kills per set for opponents, 12.08 assists per set compared to 10.52 assists per set for opponents, 12.52 digs per set compared to 11.35 digs per set for opponents and 2.25 blocks per set compared to 1.11 blocks per set for opponents.
• The Orange ranks among the BIG EAST top five in five statistical categories ... SU leads the league in hitting percentage (.306), ranks fourth in blocks per set (2.25), third in kills per set (13.54) and fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.176).
• Syracuse's 77 kills and 71 assists against Kent State on Sept. 18 are conference-best marks for 2010.
Individual Notes
• Junior outside hitter Noemie Lefebvre leads the Orange offensively with 215 kills for a 3.47 kills per set average on the season ... Lefebvre was named to the all-tournament team or tournament MVP in all four of SU's tournaments this season, making her the first student-athlete in program history to accomplish the feat ... Lefebvre was the first BIG EAST Player of the Week of the 2010 season on Aug. 30 and earned BIG EAST Honor Roll mention on Sept. 13 ... Lefebvre ranks seventh among BIG EAST hitters with 3.47 kills per set and 3.88 points per set averages.
• Senior outside hitter Hayley Todd and junior outside hitter Erin Little are the two most versatile student-athletes in the Orange lineup, both having played multiple positions this season ... Todd transitioned from middle blocker to outside hitter during her junior season, but filled in at middle against USF ... The Whitby, Ontario native ranks second among SU hitters with 172 kills on the season, a 2.97 kills per set average and 0.81 blocks per set ... Little has played all three front row positions during her collegiate career, also filling in at middle against USF ... The Glenville, N.Y. native has 43 kills and is averaging 2.87 kills per set this season despite missing the first 13 matches due to injury.
• Sophomore setter Laura Homann is averaging 10.77 assists per set through the first 18 matches of the season, including a career-best 65 assists against Kent State on Sept. 18 ... Homann's 10.77 assists per set currently ranks third among conference setters, behind Cincinnati senior Annie Fesl and Marquette senior Nikki Klingsporn while ranking eighth on the SU single-season assists per set list.
• Freshman middle blocker Lindsay McCabe has been SU's most accurate hitter this season, leading the team and ranking second among BIG EAST student-athletes with a .433 attack percentage ... McCabe also leads the Orange with 67 total blocks this season, averaging 1.12 blocks per set, which ranks fifth in conference ... She was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Sept. 13.
• Sophomore middle blocker Samantha Hinz ranks second on the team and fourth in the BIG EAST with a .371 attack percentage while ranking 10th in conference with 20 service aces on the season.
• Senior right side hitter Mindy Stanislovaitis ranks eighth among conference hitters and third on the team with a .338 hitting percentage.
• Senior captain Sarah Hayes filled in at libero for the Orange in the Georgetown and USF matches over the weekend ... The Cypress, Texas native helped the SU defense stablize to take the second, third and fourth sets against Georgetown ... She averaged 2.44 digs per set through the weekend and has 134 digs on the season through the first 18 matches.
A Look at the Series
- Syracuse leads the all-time series with Connecticut, 27-14, which dates back to 1980
- The Orange has won the last two meetings, including a 3-1 victory at UConn last season
- Syracuse and St. John's are tied, 8-8, in the all-time series, which dates back to 1994
- The Orange won the last meeting between the two teams, 3-1, at St. John's last season
Up Next
- Syracuse remains home, hosting Marquette on Saturday, October 16 of Orange Central weekend. The newly refurbished Paarlberg, Patton, Prins Player's Court will be dedicated in a ceremony between matches two and three.
