Candlewood Suites Challenge Begins On Friday

CANDLEWOOD SUITES CHALLENGE
Tournament Central
Game Details	Friday, Sept. 13 - vs. Saint Peter's - 12 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 - vs. Delaware State - 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 - vs. Chicago State - 11:30 a.m.
Game Coverage	Twitter: @Cuse, @CuseVolleyball
#SUVB Links	Match Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Live Stats \| Season Statistics
Opponent Links	Chicago State: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats Delaware State: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats Saint Peter's: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – For the second straight weekend, the Syracuse volleyball team will host a tournament, this time welcoming three additional teams to Central New York for the Candlewood Suites Challenge on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6 and 7.

LAST WEEK:
The Orange picked up their first win of the season with a thrilling five-set win over former BIG EAST-foe Rutgers for their ninth consecutive victory over the Scarlet Knights. SU opened the invitational with a setback to Stony Brook after extending the match into five sets. On the second day of competition, Syracuse fell in four sets to Oakland and straight sets to Colorado, however the team saved its best performance of the weekend for the Buffaloes, hitting at a clip of .307 as a unit.

Junior outside hitter Nicolette Serratore was named to the all-tournament team after posting averages of 3.47 kills and 2.53 digs per set in the four-game event. Freshman setter Erica Handley dished out 8.0 assists per set, including a season high 45 against Rutgers and middle blocker Lindsay McCabe racked up a tournament-best 17 blocks.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION:
Chicago State: The Cougars have started off the season with eight loses and have dropped 32 straight dating back to the 2012 season. Paula Sioto leads Chicago State into the weekend, averaging 2.93 kills and 0.52 blocks per set. She was named to the UIC Invitational all-tournament team and set a career-high with 13 kills against Marshall.

Delaware State: Having played no matches since Aug. 31, Delaware State should be refreshed and ready to go. The Hornets lost their first two matches on opening weekend at the Hofstra Asics Invitational despite Jasmine Jackson averaging 3.17 kills and 1.17 blocks pet set.

Saint Peter's: Last weekend, Saint Peter's snapped a 35-game losing skid with their first win of the season over Fairleigh Dickinson and now sit at 1-7 on the season. The Peacocks are led by Lauren Behrens with her 2.48 kills per set and Jennifer Pliska's 4.78 digs per set, which ranks 58th in the nation.

BUILDING BLOCKS:
Lindsay McCabe's 17 total blocks during the Candlewood Suites Invitational from Sept. 6-7 helped move her into ninth all-time in program history with 311 career blocks. McCabe's 265 career block assists are only six away from the 10th spot for career block assists.

ORANGE IN THE ACC:
Handley currently ranks ninth in the ACC and second among conference rookies with 7.17 assists per set. Serratore posted the seventh highest kill total in a match this season among ACC individuals, with her 20-kill performance against Rutgers on Sept. 6. McCabe's eight total blocks in a single-match are tied for fourth most among ACC individuals when she completed the feat against Stony Brook on Sept. 6.

SERIES HISTORY:
This weekend will mark the first ever meeting between SU and both Chicago State and Saint Peter's. However, Syracuse does own a 1-0 all-time record against Delaware State, with the victory coming back in 2005.

UP NEXT:
The Orange hit the road for the Purdue Active Ankle Challenge on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20 and 21. SU will begin the weekend with a match against the nationally ranked No. 22 Boilermakers, followed by games against FIU and Northern Kentucky.

Syracuse University Athletics

Related Videos