Saturday, September 14
Loudonville, NY
4 p.m.
Syracuse University
9-0,0-0ACC
3
vs
0
Idaho
1-9,0-0Big Sky
1
2
3
F
Idaho
15
14
20
0
Syracuse
25
25
25
3
Syracuse Beats Idaho, Completes Siena Saints Invitational Sweep
9/14/2024 7:55:00 PM | Volleyball
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – The Syracuse University volleyball team (9-0) polished off a third straight perfect weekend to begin the season Saturday with a sweep over Idaho.
The Orange remained unbeaten with the victory and continued their best start since 2010. Ava Palm and Sydney Moore were selected to the All-Tournament Team as 'Cuse was the only team to finish the event with a 3-0 record.
"I'd like to start off with a big compliment to the team," head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said. "I thought they did a really good job sticking together even when they were facing adversity, especially early on in the two matches we had against Siena and NJIT. I thought a lot of players performed really well, and we had a lot of players that came off the bench did and did a really good job for us."
Syracuse also defeated Siena and NJIT earlier in the event. 'Cuse has now won all its matches at the Salt City Classic, Big Apple Tournament and Siena Saints Invitational.
"It's really nice to see the team come together," Ganesharatnam continued. "We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but I think we are on the right track and are progressing really well so far. Big compliment to the team and staff – I think everybody is working well together to make sure we have a good season."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams traded early leads but neither led by more than two until the Orange went ahead 13-10 via a Sara Wasiakowska kill. The Vandals stayed within striking distance until Syracuse closed on a 9-1 run to clinch a 25-15 victory. Sydney Moore was involved in the final four points, as the graduate student had two kills and a pair of block assists with Wasiakowska.
Syracuse raced out to a 6-1 lead in the second set thanks to three kills from Ava Palm and one each by Anastasiia Nikolnikova and Mira Ledermueller, in addition to a block from Palm and Nikolnikova. Idaho got back within two at 10-8 before the Orange won four consecutive points highlighted by two Wasiakowska kills. 'Cuse was again ruthless at the end of the set, finishing on an 8-2 run that was capped off by an ace and then a kill by Palm.
The Orange took control of the third set early with a 5-0 run that included a pair of Palm aces and kills. A 6-0 scoring burst later in the set put Syracuse ahead 15-7, but the Vandals clicked off the next seven points to get back within two. Both teams traded scoring runs the rest of the set, with the final being a 3-0 stretch by 'Cuse that was punctuated by Palm's sixth kill in a 25-20 win.
NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS
Ava Palm GR OH Syracuse
Sydney Moore GR MB Syracuse
Doga Emil JR L NJIT
Ema Torres FR OH NJIT
Taylor Brickey SR OH Idaho
Claire Isaksen SR S Siena
UP NEXT
Syracuse will host its second home event of the season, the Syracuse Invitational, at the Women's Building from Sept. 19-22. The Orange will face Le Moyne on Sept. 19, Iowa State on Sept. 21 and Cornell on Sept. 22.
For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.
The Orange remained unbeaten with the victory and continued their best start since 2010. Ava Palm and Sydney Moore were selected to the All-Tournament Team as 'Cuse was the only team to finish the event with a 3-0 record.
"I'd like to start off with a big compliment to the team," head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said. "I thought they did a really good job sticking together even when they were facing adversity, especially early on in the two matches we had against Siena and NJIT. I thought a lot of players performed really well, and we had a lot of players that came off the bench did and did a really good job for us."
Syracuse also defeated Siena and NJIT earlier in the event. 'Cuse has now won all its matches at the Salt City Classic, Big Apple Tournament and Siena Saints Invitational.
"It's really nice to see the team come together," Ganesharatnam continued. "We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but I think we are on the right track and are progressing really well so far. Big compliment to the team and staff – I think everybody is working well together to make sure we have a good season."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams traded early leads but neither led by more than two until the Orange went ahead 13-10 via a Sara Wasiakowska kill. The Vandals stayed within striking distance until Syracuse closed on a 9-1 run to clinch a 25-15 victory. Sydney Moore was involved in the final four points, as the graduate student had two kills and a pair of block assists with Wasiakowska.
Syracuse raced out to a 6-1 lead in the second set thanks to three kills from Ava Palm and one each by Anastasiia Nikolnikova and Mira Ledermueller, in addition to a block from Palm and Nikolnikova. Idaho got back within two at 10-8 before the Orange won four consecutive points highlighted by two Wasiakowska kills. 'Cuse was again ruthless at the end of the set, finishing on an 8-2 run that was capped off by an ace and then a kill by Palm.
The Orange took control of the third set early with a 5-0 run that included a pair of Palm aces and kills. A 6-0 scoring burst later in the set put Syracuse ahead 15-7, but the Vandals clicked off the next seven points to get back within two. Both teams traded scoring runs the rest of the set, with the final being a 3-0 stretch by 'Cuse that was punctuated by Palm's sixth kill in a 25-20 win.
NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS
- Ava Palm led the way offensively for the Orange with 16 kills, her eighth time in nine matches this season reaching double-digit kills. Palm hit .324 on 34 swings while also adding six digs, two blocks and three aces.
- Palm averaged four kills per set during Syracuse's three matches at the tournament. This is her second All-Tournament selection of the season, as she also earned the honor at the Salt City Classic.
- Just as she has been all season, Sydney Moore was efficient and productive for the Orange. She racked up seven kills on 10 attacks and tied for a team-best three blocks. This was Moore's sixth time hitting over .500 in a match this season. She also earned her second All-Tournament bid of the year, with her other coming at the Salt City Classic.
- Mira Ledermueller made her second straight start at setter, tallying 27 assists and seven digs. The sophomore had double-digit assists in all three matches at the tournament and posted 27 in each of the last two.
- Sara Wasiakowska set a new career high with 10 digs, which led the Orange. The graduate student added six kills and three blocks.
- Emma Ortiz (8) and Greta Schlichter (6) combined for 14 digs at libero for 'Cuse.
- As a team, Syracuse bested Idaho in kills (40-21), assists (34-18), digs (46-38), aces (7-4) and blocks (7-4). The seven aces were Syracuse's most in the tournament.
- Syracuse went 9-0 in sets during the event and is 27-3 in sets on the season.
Ava Palm GR OH Syracuse
Sydney Moore GR MB Syracuse
Doga Emil JR L NJIT
Ema Torres FR OH NJIT
Taylor Brickey SR OH Idaho
Claire Isaksen SR S Siena
UP NEXT
Syracuse will host its second home event of the season, the Syracuse Invitational, at the Women's Building from Sept. 19-22. The Orange will face Le Moyne on Sept. 19, Iowa State on Sept. 21 and Cornell on Sept. 22.
For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.
Team Stats
UI
SU
Kills
21
40
Errors
21
18
Attempts
96
100
Hitting %
.000
.220
Points
29.0
54.0
Assists
18
34
Aces
4
7
Blocks
4
7
Game Leaders
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
LB/DS
/ VolleyballRS
/ VolleyballBakeer Ganesharatnam Press Conference | vs. Clemson
Tuesday, November 25
Highlights | Syracuse Volleyball vs. Clemson
Tuesday, November 25
Bakeer Ganesharatnam Press Conference | vs. #8 SMU
Sunday, November 23
Highlights | Volleyball vs SMU
Sunday, November 23
