Friday, October 11
Syracuse, NY
7 pm
Syracuse University
vs
Pittsburgh
Orange Set To Host No. 3 Pittsburgh Friday
10/10/2019 5:03:00 PM | Volleyball
#3 PITTSBURGH (15-1, 4-0 ACC) AT SYRACUSE (4-7, 1-3 ACC)
Game Details: 7 p.m. | Friday, Oct. 11
Location: Syracuse, N.Y. | Women's Building
Game Links: Watch | Live Stats
Television: ACC Network Extra
Twitter: @CuseVB
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats (PDF)
Pittsburgh Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats (PDF)
SYRACUSE, NY – No. 3 Pittsburgh comes to town to take on Syracuse volleyball on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Women's Building. The Orange look to bounce back after two home conference losses to Wake Forest and Duke last weekend, making their record 1-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play and 4-7 overall. Admission and parking are free and the match will be available for stream on ACC Network Extra.
Fans can only watch if their cable provider carries the ACC Network. Fans unsure if their provider carries ACCN are strongly encouraged to visit GetACCN.com.
Syracuse is 11-39 all-time against the Panthers since their first meeting in 1982. The Orange's last victory in the series came back in 2015.
Friday's match is Otto's Kids' Club Day and the first 50 people in the building will be given free ice cream.
Still Searching
Syracuse is still looking for its first victory at home in 2019 after opening its home schedule last weekend. The Orange lost, 3-1, to Wake Forest and 3-2 to Duke after nine matches on the road.
The Orange led the Demon Deacons in points, kills, assists and digs in the contest. Syracuse also took the Blue Devils to five sets, after falling behind 2-0 early in the match.
Leading by Example
Sophomore captain Polina Shemanova continues to be an impact player for the Orange, posting 76 kills and 54 digs since the start of ACC play. She leads the squad with 183 kills and 111 digs on the season.
Returning to Form
Senior Kendra Lukacs saw her first action of the season vs. Wake Forest after missing the first nine matches of the season with an injury. As the libero for the Orange, the Calgary native had 10 digs in her season debut against the Demon Deacons and a career-high four service aces Sunday against Duke.
Saada Stepping Up
Junior outside hitter Ella Saada has led the Orange in kills in their last two matches. She tied her career-high with 21 kills Friday against the Demon Deacons and followed that up with a 19-kill performance against the Blue Devils.
Setting the Table
Sophomore setter Elena Karakasi posted a career high 41 assists in the match against Wake Forest and topped that with 43 assists vs. Duke. The native of Greece has assisted 330 times in 2019 after tallying 180 assists in her entire freshman campaign.
Scouting the Panthers
Pittsburgh enters into the match with a 15-1 record and a 4-0 mark in ACC play. Its only loss was a 3-2 decision against No. 4 Penn State. The Panthers went 2-0 last weekend in Florida, sweeping Miami in Coral Gables before downing Florida State, 3-1, in Tallahassee.
Four players on the Panthers have more than 100 kills and junior Kayla Lund leads the squad with 210. Pitt leads the ACC in five categories, including hitting percentage (.277), lowest opponent hitting percentage (.153), average assists per set (13.68), average kills per set (14.78), and services aces (100). Lund ranks third in the conference in total kills and fourth in kills per set (3.75).
Sophomore middle blocker Sabrina Starks' 1.29 blocks per set is good for second in the ACC, and junior Chinaza Ndee's 54 total blocks leads the Panthers. Ndee was named ACC Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 7.
What's Next
The four-game home stretch for the Orange comes to an end with the Pink Day match against Virginia on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of those battling breast cancer, breast cancer survivors, those lost to the disease and those who have faced the adversity that comes with the disease. All home matches are played in the SU Women's Building. Admission and parking are free, and the match will be available for stream on ACC Network Extra.
For continued coverage of Syracuse Volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@CuseVB), Instagram (@cusevb) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Volleyball).
Game Details: 7 p.m. | Friday, Oct. 11
Location: Syracuse, N.Y. | Women's Building
Game Links: Watch | Live Stats
Television: ACC Network Extra
Twitter: @CuseVB
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats (PDF)
Pittsburgh Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats (PDF)
SYRACUSE, NY – No. 3 Pittsburgh comes to town to take on Syracuse volleyball on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Women's Building. The Orange look to bounce back after two home conference losses to Wake Forest and Duke last weekend, making their record 1-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play and 4-7 overall. Admission and parking are free and the match will be available for stream on ACC Network Extra.
Fans can only watch if their cable provider carries the ACC Network. Fans unsure if their provider carries ACCN are strongly encouraged to visit GetACCN.com.
Syracuse is 11-39 all-time against the Panthers since their first meeting in 1982. The Orange's last victory in the series came back in 2015.
Friday's match is Otto's Kids' Club Day and the first 50 people in the building will be given free ice cream.
Still Searching
Syracuse is still looking for its first victory at home in 2019 after opening its home schedule last weekend. The Orange lost, 3-1, to Wake Forest and 3-2 to Duke after nine matches on the road.
The Orange led the Demon Deacons in points, kills, assists and digs in the contest. Syracuse also took the Blue Devils to five sets, after falling behind 2-0 early in the match.
Leading by Example
Sophomore captain Polina Shemanova continues to be an impact player for the Orange, posting 76 kills and 54 digs since the start of ACC play. She leads the squad with 183 kills and 111 digs on the season.
Returning to Form
Senior Kendra Lukacs saw her first action of the season vs. Wake Forest after missing the first nine matches of the season with an injury. As the libero for the Orange, the Calgary native had 10 digs in her season debut against the Demon Deacons and a career-high four service aces Sunday against Duke.
Saada Stepping Up
Junior outside hitter Ella Saada has led the Orange in kills in their last two matches. She tied her career-high with 21 kills Friday against the Demon Deacons and followed that up with a 19-kill performance against the Blue Devils.
Setting the Table
Sophomore setter Elena Karakasi posted a career high 41 assists in the match against Wake Forest and topped that with 43 assists vs. Duke. The native of Greece has assisted 330 times in 2019 after tallying 180 assists in her entire freshman campaign.
Scouting the Panthers
Pittsburgh enters into the match with a 15-1 record and a 4-0 mark in ACC play. Its only loss was a 3-2 decision against No. 4 Penn State. The Panthers went 2-0 last weekend in Florida, sweeping Miami in Coral Gables before downing Florida State, 3-1, in Tallahassee.
Four players on the Panthers have more than 100 kills and junior Kayla Lund leads the squad with 210. Pitt leads the ACC in five categories, including hitting percentage (.277), lowest opponent hitting percentage (.153), average assists per set (13.68), average kills per set (14.78), and services aces (100). Lund ranks third in the conference in total kills and fourth in kills per set (3.75).
Sophomore middle blocker Sabrina Starks' 1.29 blocks per set is good for second in the ACC, and junior Chinaza Ndee's 54 total blocks leads the Panthers. Ndee was named ACC Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 7.
What's Next
The four-game home stretch for the Orange comes to an end with the Pink Day match against Virginia on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of those battling breast cancer, breast cancer survivors, those lost to the disease and those who have faced the adversity that comes with the disease. All home matches are played in the SU Women's Building. Admission and parking are free, and the match will be available for stream on ACC Network Extra.
For continued coverage of Syracuse Volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@CuseVB), Instagram (@cusevb) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Volleyball).
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