Photo by: Erin Locascio
Strong Blocking Leads Orange Past Notre Dame
11/22/2017 10:23:00 PM | Volleyball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse women's volleyball team blocked a season-high 22 shots on its way to a five-set (25-23, 15-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-9) victory over Notre Dame Wednesday night in the Women's Building. Amber Witherspoon blocked a career-high 16 shots, tied for the third-highest single-match total in program history. The Orange improves to 20-12 and 12-7 in the ACC. The Fighting Irish drop to 21-9 and 11-8.
Kendra Lukacs led Syracuse with 13 kills, Witherspoon added 11 and Ella Saada finished with 10. Jalissa Trotter finished with a team-high 47 assists and Belle Sand totaled a team-leading 29 digs.
How It Was Decided
With the two sides tied at 23 in the first set, back-to-back kills from Santita Ebangwese led Syracuse to a 25-23 victory.
A 7-0 Notre Dame run opened up an early 7-2 advantage for the Fighting Irish in the second set. The Orange never trimmed to deficit any smaller than four and ND took the set 25-15.
With 'Cuse clinging to a 19-17 lead in the third set, the Orange used two blocks along with two Witherspoon kills to take control of the set. A block by Saada and Witherspoon capped off a 25-18 Syracuse triumph.
An ace from Lukacs evened set four at 23, but two 'Cuse errors resulted in Notre Dame taking the fourth set 25-23.
With the fifth set tied at seven, the Orange used a 5-0 run to gain control. Trotter and Saada recorded kills, followed by a block from Christina Oyawale and Witherspoon and two more kills from Saada. Lukacs capped off the night with the match-winning kill and Syracuse won 15-9.
Coach's Thoughts
"It was a great team win tonight," said associate head coach Erin Little. "We saw players come on the floor and be able to play steady, even when things weren't going our way. It was a big win for the team, definitely exciting, and now we have to prepare for Friday."
"We saw Amber (Witherspoon) step up huge in the blocking game today and we saw Ella (Saada) hitting well on the outside."
Of Note
Witherspoon's 16 blocks are the most by a Syracuse player in a single-match since Sarah Morton posted 16 blocks at Sacramento State on August 29, 2009.
The 22 blocks for the Orange on the evening is tied for sixth highest total in program history. The last time 'Cuse accumulated 22 blocked shots was in 1998 at West Virginia.
What's Next
Syracuse celebrates senior day against Louisville on Friday, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. in the Women's Building. The final regular season match for the Orange will be broadcasted live on ACC Network Extra. Admission and parking are free.
For all of the latest information on Syracuse volleyball, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Orange &
CuseVB), Twitter (@Cuse & @CuseVB), and Instagram (@cusepics & @cusevb).
Kendra Lukacs led Syracuse with 13 kills, Witherspoon added 11 and Ella Saada finished with 10. Jalissa Trotter finished with a team-high 47 assists and Belle Sand totaled a team-leading 29 digs.
How It Was Decided
With the two sides tied at 23 in the first set, back-to-back kills from Santita Ebangwese led Syracuse to a 25-23 victory.
A 7-0 Notre Dame run opened up an early 7-2 advantage for the Fighting Irish in the second set. The Orange never trimmed to deficit any smaller than four and ND took the set 25-15.
With 'Cuse clinging to a 19-17 lead in the third set, the Orange used two blocks along with two Witherspoon kills to take control of the set. A block by Saada and Witherspoon capped off a 25-18 Syracuse triumph.
An ace from Lukacs evened set four at 23, but two 'Cuse errors resulted in Notre Dame taking the fourth set 25-23.
With the fifth set tied at seven, the Orange used a 5-0 run to gain control. Trotter and Saada recorded kills, followed by a block from Christina Oyawale and Witherspoon and two more kills from Saada. Lukacs capped off the night with the match-winning kill and Syracuse won 15-9.
Coach's Thoughts
"It was a great team win tonight," said associate head coach Erin Little. "We saw players come on the floor and be able to play steady, even when things weren't going our way. It was a big win for the team, definitely exciting, and now we have to prepare for Friday."
"We saw Amber (Witherspoon) step up huge in the blocking game today and we saw Ella (Saada) hitting well on the outside."
Of Note
Witherspoon's 16 blocks are the most by a Syracuse player in a single-match since Sarah Morton posted 16 blocks at Sacramento State on August 29, 2009.
The 22 blocks for the Orange on the evening is tied for sixth highest total in program history. The last time 'Cuse accumulated 22 blocked shots was in 1998 at West Virginia.
What's Next
Syracuse celebrates senior day against Louisville on Friday, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. in the Women's Building. The final regular season match for the Orange will be broadcasted live on ACC Network Extra. Admission and parking are free.
For all of the latest information on Syracuse volleyball, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Orange &
CuseVB), Twitter (@Cuse & @CuseVB), and Instagram (@cusepics & @cusevb).
Team Stats
ND
SU
Kills
63
57
Errors
35
21
Attempts
219
178
Hitting %
.128
.202
Points
73.0
81.0
Assists
56
55
Aces
5
2
Blocks
5.0
22.0
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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