Top-10 Showdown: #8 Orange Travel to Play #9 Cards

Game Details: Friday, Oct. 9 (6 p.m. ACC Network) & Saturday, Oct. 10 (7 p.m. ACCNX), Louisville, Ky.
Live Video: Friday: ACC Network Saturday: ACC Network Extra
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @cuse | @CuseVB
Syracuse Links: Game Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Louisville Links: Game Notes | News | Roster | Schedule

A battle of top-10 teams is on tap this weekend as the 8th-ranked Syracuse University volleyball team will travel to Kentucky to play 9th-ranked Louisville. The Orange (2-2 overall, 2-2 ACC) and the Cardinals (2-1, 2-1) will play two matches with the first scheduled for Friday, October 9 (6 p.m., ACC Network). The teams will also play on Saturday, October 10 (7 p.m., ACCNX).

History in the Making
Junior outside hitter Polina Shemanova needs 11 kills to reach 1,000 in her career. She has 989 through 57 career matches. She will become the 17th student-athlete in program history to achieve the feat.

Going Back to the Start
Prior to becoming Syracuse's head coach, Orange head coach Leonid Yelin began his Division I coaching career at Louisville. Yelin led the Cardinals to 14 NCAA Tournaments, including four NCAA Regional semifinals from 1996 through 2010. His record at Louisville was 366-112.

The Series vs. Louisville
This will be the 38th and 39th meetings between Syracuse and Louisville. The Cardinals lead the series, 23-4. The teams split two meetings in 2019, with each winning on their home court.

The Opponent
The sixth-ranked Cardinals won two matches at Boston College last weekend. Louisville swept the Eagles, 3-0, on Friday and won, 3-1, on Saturday. Freshman outside hitter Anna DeBeer recorded 26 kills and junior setter Rachael DeMarcus had 81 assists in two matches.

Last Time Out
Syracuse lost a pair of matches at sixth-ranked Notre Dame last weekend, losing in four sets on Friday and three sets on Saturday. Shemanova recorded 29 kills, while Elena Karakasi tallied 65 assists in the two ACC matches. Friday's match was the first in program history that Syracuse played as a ranked team.

Up Next
The Orange return home for the final matches of the fall season against Boston College on Friday, October 16 (4 pm, ACC Network) and Saturday, October 17 (5 pm, ESPNU).

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Syracuse University Athletics remains committed to doing everything it can to support and protect the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, our staff and the campus and Syracuse communities. All decisions will be science-based and informed by public health and guidance as provided by county, state and public health officials.

If fans are permitted to attend games – in some capacity – Syracuse Athletics will announce plans for spectators to secure admission to the events. Fans will be required to sit in their socially-distanced seat locations and wear a face covering.

Syracuse University Athletics

Top-10 Showdown: #8 Orange Travel to Play #9 Cards

Players Mentioned

Elena Karakasi

Polina Shemanova

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