Friday, September 13
Loudonville, NY
2:30 p.m.
Syracuse University
8-0,0-0ACC
3
vs
0
NJIT
2-8,0-0America East
1
2
3
F
Syracuse
26
25
25
3
NJIT
24
19
20
0
Volleyball Cements Best Start Since 2010 With Win Against NJIT
9/13/2024 7:04:00 PM | Volleyball
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – With a victory against NJIT on Friday in the second match of the Siena Saints Invitational, the Syracuse University volleyball team (8-0) cemented its best start to a season since 2010.
The Orange won a tightly contested three-set match against the Highlanders to remain unbeaten. Syracuse's 8-0 start is the program's best since 2010, when the Orange won their first 17 matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
For the second straight day, Syracuse found itself in a precarious position late in the first set. The Orange led by as many as six in the set at 14-8 before the Highlanders stormed back to take a 21-19 advantage. Two straight kills by Klara Zarnovicka in her first two plays after making her match debut tied the score, but NJIT won the next three points to take a 24-21 lead.
Just like in Thursday's first set against Siena, the Orange dug deep with their backs against the wall. An Ava Palm kill erased one set point, and a block by Anastasiia Nikolnikova took care of another. Syracuse survived the third set point after an attack error by the Highlanders, and then a block on the next point by Palm and Nikolnikova set up a set point for 'Cuse. Palm and Nikolnikova put down another block to capture a second improbable opening-set triumph for the Orange in as many days.
Both teams traded points in the early stages of the second set. With the score tied at 13-13, Syracuse went on a 3-0 run highlighted by kills from Skylar George and Sara Wasiakowska. NJIT pulled back within one but got no closer. 'Cuse led 21-19 before closing the set on a 4-0 run thanks to a kill by Wasiakowska, another by Zarnovicka and a pair of NJIT attack errors.
Much like the second set, the third was back-and-forth to start. The Highlanders held a slim 14-13 advantage before Syracuse went on a 7-1 run that featured two kills by Zarnovicka and one each from George and Nikolnikova. The Highlanders answered by winning four of the next five points, but their momentum was halted by a personal 3-0 run of kills by Sydney Moore to set up a match point. Moore helped close out the match on the very next point, as she combined on a block with Wasiakowska to close out a 25-20 victory and secure a 'Cuse win.
NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
Syracuse concludes the Siena Saints Invitational tomorrow with a 4 p.m. match against Idaho at the UHY Center. The contest will be streamed on Siena All-Access.
For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.
The Orange won a tightly contested three-set match against the Highlanders to remain unbeaten. Syracuse's 8-0 start is the program's best since 2010, when the Orange won their first 17 matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
For the second straight day, Syracuse found itself in a precarious position late in the first set. The Orange led by as many as six in the set at 14-8 before the Highlanders stormed back to take a 21-19 advantage. Two straight kills by Klara Zarnovicka in her first two plays after making her match debut tied the score, but NJIT won the next three points to take a 24-21 lead.
Just like in Thursday's first set against Siena, the Orange dug deep with their backs against the wall. An Ava Palm kill erased one set point, and a block by Anastasiia Nikolnikova took care of another. Syracuse survived the third set point after an attack error by the Highlanders, and then a block on the next point by Palm and Nikolnikova set up a set point for 'Cuse. Palm and Nikolnikova put down another block to capture a second improbable opening-set triumph for the Orange in as many days.
Both teams traded points in the early stages of the second set. With the score tied at 13-13, Syracuse went on a 3-0 run highlighted by kills from Skylar George and Sara Wasiakowska. NJIT pulled back within one but got no closer. 'Cuse led 21-19 before closing the set on a 4-0 run thanks to a kill by Wasiakowska, another by Zarnovicka and a pair of NJIT attack errors.
Much like the second set, the third was back-and-forth to start. The Highlanders held a slim 14-13 advantage before Syracuse went on a 7-1 run that featured two kills by Zarnovicka and one each from George and Nikolnikova. The Highlanders answered by winning four of the next five points, but their momentum was halted by a personal 3-0 run of kills by Sydney Moore to set up a match point. Moore helped close out the match on the very next point, as she combined on a block with Wasiakowska to close out a 25-20 victory and secure a 'Cuse win.
NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS
- Ava Palm and Sara Wasiakowska tied for the team high with 11 kills apiece. It was Wasiakowka's second match this season with double-digit kills, as she set her career best with 13 last weekend against Fordham. Palm came one dig short of a double-double, but her nine digs were a season high.
- Mira Ledermueller paced the Orange with 27 assists. It was her fourth time surpassing 25 assists in Syracuse's last five contests. Like Palm, she also came just one dig short of a double-double.
- Sydney Moore tallied six kills, three of which came on three straight points late in the third set. Moore hit .385 for the match and added a pair of blocks, including one on Syracuse's match point.
- Skylar George led the Orange with 12 digs to go along with seven kills. The 12 digs were a career best for George, who has double-digit digs in two of the last three contests.
- For the second straight match, Greta Schlichter reached double-digit digs, as the sophomore posted 11.
- Anastasiia Nikolnikova tied Palm for a team-best three blocks in addition to her five kills. She also hit both of Syracuse's aces on the day.
- Klara Zarnovicka was impactful again for the Orange, finishing with six kills and four digs.
- The Orange produced 62 digs, their most in a three-set match this season and since Oct. 16, 2020, against Boston College, when they also had 62 digs in a three-set win.
- This was Syracuse's second victory against NJIT this season, as the Orange previously defeated the Highlanders 3-0 at the Women's Building on Aug. 30 at the Salt City Classic.
UP NEXT
Syracuse concludes the Siena Saints Invitational tomorrow with a 4 p.m. match against Idaho at the UHY Center. The contest will be streamed on Siena All-Access.
For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.
Team Stats
SU
NJIT
Kills
46
31
Errors
21
21
Attempts
127
126
Hitting %
.197
.079
Points
53.0
42.0
Assists
40
31
Aces
2
4
Blocks
5
7
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
LB/DS
/ VolleyballRS
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