Friday, September 6
New York, NY
11 a.m.
Syracuse University
4-0,0-0ACC
3
at
0
Columbia
0-1,0-0Ivy League
1
2
3
F
Syracuse
25
25
25
3
Columbia
15
15
22
0
Orange Takes Two Bites Out Of The Big Apple, Defeats Columbia And Fordham
9/6/2024 9:48:00 PM | Volleyball
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Syracuse University volleyball team (5-0) continued its unbeaten start on Friday with a pair of wins over Columbia and Fordham at the Big Apple Tournament.
The Orange began the day with a straight-set victory over tournament-host Columbia before battling past Fordham in a hard-fought four setter. With the wins, Syracuse improved to 5-0 on the season, continuing its best start since 2021.
After dropping the opening point of the match, Syracuse reeled off the next six to take an early lead. Three kills in four points by Sydney Moore later in the set helped 'Cuse build a 10-4 advantage. Moore had five kills in the frame, the fifth of which sealed a 25-15 set victory for the Orange.
Columbia held a slim advantage in the opening stages of the second set, but a 4-0 Syracuse run sparked by blocks from Zharia Harris-Waddy, Sara Wasiakowska and Skylar George propelled 'Cuse to a 9-7 lead. Another 5-0 run shortly after, which included a pair of George kills and one by Wasiakowska, moved the Orange ahead 14-8. Syracuse closed out another 25-15 victory with another big scoring run, this time a 6-0 streak that featured two Ava Palm kills and another block by Harris-Waddy and Wasiakowska.
The Lions again got off to a good start in the third set, racing out to a 13-7 lead. However, Syracuse slowly chipped away at its deficit. Trailing 18-13, a kill by Palm followed by a pair of blocks brought 'Cuse back within three. Shortly after, a Palm kill capped a 5-0 Syracuse run that gave the Orange their first lead since 1-0 in the set. Columbia briefly tied the score at 20-20 but another Palm kill gave 'Cuse a lead that would hold the rest of the set. A George kill secured a 25-22 set victory and the match for the Orange.
NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS – COLUMBIA
HOW IT HAPPENED – FORDHAM
Fordham won the first 11 points of the match on the way to a 25-15 victory.
The Rams again started hot in the second set, winning the first three points. However, Syracuse battled back and took its first lead of the match at 6-5 after a Skylar George kill. Two more kills by Sydney Moore and Ava Palm gave the Orange a three-point advantage. Fordham retied the score at 12-12 before 'Cuse went on a 5-1 run thanks to kills from Palm, George and Sara Wasiakowska to take control. Syracuse managed its lead until the end before a George ace clinched an Orange set.
In the third, it was Syracuse that jumped out to an early lead, going ahead 10-5 following three consecutive kills by George. A Wasiakowska kill and back-to-back aces by Zharia Harris-Waddy stretched the Orange lead to seven. 'Cuse went up by as many as 11 at 23-12 following a Palm ace before closing out a 25-14 win.
Fordham held a 7-6 advantage in the fourth set before a 4-0 run highlighted by two Emma Ortiz aces put the Orange ahead. Syracuse raced out to a 22-13 lead from there before the Rams rattled off seven of the next eight points. Palm ended the run with a kill and ended the match two points later with another, as the Orange won 25-21 to clinch the match.
NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS – FORDHAM
UP NEXT
Syracuse will wrap up the Big Apple Tournament tomorrow with a match against Manhattan at noon. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.
The Orange began the day with a straight-set victory over tournament-host Columbia before battling past Fordham in a hard-fought four setter. With the wins, Syracuse improved to 5-0 on the season, continuing its best start since 2021.
HOW IT HAPPENED – COLUMBIAPOV: You just beat Fordham to improve to 5️⃣-0️⃣ on the season! 😁#BackStronger | #TheRedemptionTour pic.twitter.com/RAhJgwXNGH
— Syracuse Volleyball (@CuseVB) September 7, 2024
After dropping the opening point of the match, Syracuse reeled off the next six to take an early lead. Three kills in four points by Sydney Moore later in the set helped 'Cuse build a 10-4 advantage. Moore had five kills in the frame, the fifth of which sealed a 25-15 set victory for the Orange.
Columbia held a slim advantage in the opening stages of the second set, but a 4-0 Syracuse run sparked by blocks from Zharia Harris-Waddy, Sara Wasiakowska and Skylar George propelled 'Cuse to a 9-7 lead. Another 5-0 run shortly after, which included a pair of George kills and one by Wasiakowska, moved the Orange ahead 14-8. Syracuse closed out another 25-15 victory with another big scoring run, this time a 6-0 streak that featured two Ava Palm kills and another block by Harris-Waddy and Wasiakowska.
The Lions again got off to a good start in the third set, racing out to a 13-7 lead. However, Syracuse slowly chipped away at its deficit. Trailing 18-13, a kill by Palm followed by a pair of blocks brought 'Cuse back within three. Shortly after, a Palm kill capped a 5-0 Syracuse run that gave the Orange their first lead since 1-0 in the set. Columbia briefly tied the score at 20-20 but another Palm kill gave 'Cuse a lead that would hold the rest of the set. A George kill secured a 25-22 set victory and the match for the Orange.
NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS – COLUMBIA
- For the first time this season, Skylar George paced the Orange in kills, as the redshirt freshman posted 12 on 21 attacks (.381 hitting percentage). This was George's second match this season with double-digit kills and her second time hitting above .380.
- Ava Palm extended her season-opening run of matches with double-digit kills to four with an 11-kill effort. Like George, Palm was also efficient, hitting at a .375 clip for the contest. She was also second on the team with six digs and added a pair of blocks.
- Making her first start of the season, Mira Ledermueller racked up 29 assists to guide the 'Cuse offense. This was Ledermueller's seventh match with at least 25 assists with the Orange.
- Zharia Harris-Waddy led the charge up front for the Orange, as the sophomore tied her career high with seven blocks. She also tied for the team lead in aces (3) and had a pair of kills.
- Another key part of the Syracuse offense against the Lions was Sydney Moore, who tallied seven kills on 12 swings. Five of the kills came in the opening set. The graduate student also had two blocks.
- Sara Wasiakowska tied with Harris-Waddy for a team-best three aces. She also had a career-best and team-high eight digs.
- For the fourth straight match to begin its season, Syracuse hit above .300 (.329). The last time the Orange accomplished that feat was 2021.
HOW IT HAPPENED – FORDHAM
Fordham won the first 11 points of the match on the way to a 25-15 victory.
The Rams again started hot in the second set, winning the first three points. However, Syracuse battled back and took its first lead of the match at 6-5 after a Skylar George kill. Two more kills by Sydney Moore and Ava Palm gave the Orange a three-point advantage. Fordham retied the score at 12-12 before 'Cuse went on a 5-1 run thanks to kills from Palm, George and Sara Wasiakowska to take control. Syracuse managed its lead until the end before a George ace clinched an Orange set.
In the third, it was Syracuse that jumped out to an early lead, going ahead 10-5 following three consecutive kills by George. A Wasiakowska kill and back-to-back aces by Zharia Harris-Waddy stretched the Orange lead to seven. 'Cuse went up by as many as 11 at 23-12 following a Palm ace before closing out a 25-14 win.
Fordham held a 7-6 advantage in the fourth set before a 4-0 run highlighted by two Emma Ortiz aces put the Orange ahead. Syracuse raced out to a 22-13 lead from there before the Rams rattled off seven of the next eight points. Palm ended the run with a kill and ended the match two points later with another, as the Orange won 25-21 to clinch the match.
NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS – FORDHAM
- Ava Palm came one kill away from tying her career high. Her 19 kills were the most on the team and her most through five matches with the Orange. She also added seven digs and a season-best three aces.
- Skylar George reached double-digit kills for the second straight match, as she finished with a career-best 12. She hit over .300 in both of Syracuse's matches on Friday.
- Sara Wasiakowska set a new career mark with 13 kills against the Rams. The graduate student took a career-high 32 swings and added seven digs.
- In her second start of the day, Mira Ledermueller set a new career best with 43 assists. She also added a career-high 16 digs to register the third double-double of her career and her first this season.
- Freshman Emma Ortiz racked up 11 digs to lead the Orange, but also added a team and career best four aces. She also set a new career high with five assists.
- Pola Bujnarowska started for Syracuse, which was the first match action of her college career.
- The Orange hit 13 aces, the most for the team since they also hit 13 against Quinnipiac on Sept. 3, 2021.
- 'Cuse finished with 52 kills, besting its previous season-high by one. The Orange won 17 of their 25 points in the second set via kills.
UP NEXT
Syracuse will wrap up the Big Apple Tournament tomorrow with a match against Manhattan at noon. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.
Team Stats
SU
CU
Kills
34
34
Errors
10
22
Attempts
73
81
Hitting %
.329
.148
Points
50.5
40.0
Assists
33
34
Aces
7
4
Blocks
9.5
2
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
2
Aces
3
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
MB/RS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ VolleyballRS
/ VolleyballMarie Laurio and Tehya Maeva Post Match Press Conference vs Boston College | 10.24.2025
Saturday, October 25
Volleyball | Highlights vs Boston College | 10.24.2025
Saturday, October 25
Head Volleyball Coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam Post Match Press Conference vs Boston College | 10.24.25
Saturday, October 25
Syracuse Volleyball
Friday, October 24
