Orange Take Four of Five Sets in Scrimmage Against Cornell

Saturday, August 31

Syracuse, N.Y.

5 pm

Syracuse University

Cornell

Orange Take Four of Five Sets in Scrimmage Against Cornell

8/31/2019 8:27:00 PM | Volleyball

SYRACUSE, NY – Syracuse volleyball played host to the Cornell Big Red Saturday night in an exhibition match. The teams played five sets despite the Orange sweeping the first three, and 'Cuse took four of the five, only dropping the fourth set (25-20, 25-21, 25-21, 20-25, 15-12). This was the final tune-up for the Orange before they head to Wisconsin to take on #20 Baylor and #16 Marquette this weekend.

"If this were a regular season match, I'd be very happy with the result," said Head Coach Leonid Yelin following the match. "But, I would like to see us be more mentally stable since we are playing such good teams this season."

How It Happened
Each of the five sets were tightly contested. Syracuse battled back from an 11-15 deficit in the first set, outscoring Cornell 14-5 to close it out. Junior outside hitter Ella Saada and newcomer Vika Lokhmanchuk each led the way with four kills and libero Aliah Bowllan added four digs.

The Orange found themselves trailing again in the second set 8-12, but thanks to five more kills from Saada and four from sophomore stand-out Polina Shemanova, the squad took a 2-0 lead in the match.

After going down 3-2 to start the third set, Syracuse jumped out ahead and would hold the lead for the remainder of the set. Freshman Marina Markova set the pace for the Orange with three kills.

After a slip-up in the fourth set, 'Cuse ended the match on the right foot, taking the fifth set 15-12.

What's Next
Syracuse opens the 2019 regular season against #20 Baylor this coming Thursday, Sep. 5, at 5 p.m. at the UW Field House in Madison, WI. They will then travel to Milwaukee to take on #16 Marquette Sunday at 1:30 p.m. They are one of twelve teams in the nation facing ranked opponents in their first two matches this season.

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