Season-High Hitting Percentage Helps Orange Sweep North Carolina

Friday, October 19

Syracuse, N.Y.

7 pm

Syracuse University

11-6 (7-2ACC)

North Carolina

5-13 (1-8ACC)

Team	1	2	3	Final F
North Carolina	23	18	22	0
Syracuse	25	25	25	3

Season-High Hitting Percentage Helps Orange Sweep North Carolina

10/19/2018 10:41:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Syracuse, N.Y. – A season-high .365 hitting percentage helped Syracuse volleyball sweep North Carolina, 3-0, Friday evening. The win is the Orange's fourth shutout of the season and marked head coach Leonid Yelin's 100^th victory at the helm of the program.

Polina Shemanova led the Orange for the ninth-straight match with a game-high 18 kills. Syracuse (11-6, 7-2 ACC) defeated the Tar Heels by set scores of 25-23, 25-18 and 25-22.

HOW IT HAPPENED
North Carolina (5-13, 1-8 ACC) opened the first set with an early 3-0 lead. Shemanova and Jalissa Trotter pushed the Orange ahead 7-5 before UNC answered, tying Syracuse 13-13. Four consecutive Tar Heel errors gave the Orange an 18-14 lead. Ella Saada's kill put the Orange up 24-22 before Shemanova closed out the set with her fourth kill of the night.

Despite an early second-set deficit, a 4-0 Syracuse run featuring back-to-back kills from Shemanova and Santita Ebangwese propelled the Orange ahead, 9-7. Syracuse did not relinquish its lead as Saada recorded two straight-kills for a 15-10 lead before securing the set with a block from Trotter and Amber Witherspoon.

Syracuse and UNC opened the third set in a back-and-forth battle before a UNC attacking error gave the Orange a 4-3 lead. Three blocks and a kill by Amber Witherspoon gave the Orange distance, 15-10. UNC responded with a 4-0 run, pulling within one, 17-16. The Tar Heels were unable to close the gap as Syracuse recorded a .517 hitting percentage in the third set.

OF NOTE
Syracuse's offensive production came from all across the court as five players recorded six or more kills including a season-high six for Trotter. The Orange totaled 45 kills, a three-set season best, as they out blocked UNC 9-5.

UP NEXT
Syracuse plays NC State for a Sunday afternoon matchup. Action on ACCN Extra begins at 1 p.m.