Syracuse Tops Harvard 3-1 for their Third Consecutive Win

By Brad Klein

CitrusTV Volleyball Beat Reporter

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Over the past couple of matches for Syracuse (3-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) different players have stepped up. Freshman outside hitter Marina Markova finished off the Kansas Invitational last weekend with a game-high 19 kills, and junior outside hitter Ella Saada did the same against Harvard on Friday. On Saturday, it was Polina Shemanova’s turn to take over. The sophomore carried SU to a four set victory over Harvard (2-7, 0-0 Ivy) with a game-high 21 kills. 

Eight of Shemanova’s kills came in the first set, and the Orange needed every one of them to eclipse the Crimson 25-23. It was a back and forth frame with 11 ties and three lead changes. A Shemanova kill snapped a 22-22 tie late in the set. From there, Ella Saada smacked the most important one of her 12 kills and Harvard’s Bella Armanza botched an attack to give the Orange the 1-0 lead. 

The Crimson made 12 attack errors throughout the match, and they all proved to be costly. Harvard narrowly lost the second set by the same score. 

The Crimson scored twice to tie the second frame at 20 apiece, forcing Head Coach Leonid Yelin to call a timeout. From there, Mindie Mabry served into the nylon to give SU the lead. The Orange never looked back. A couple of Shemanova kills primed Syracuse for a two-set lead, and Marina Markova finished the job with a kill of her own. The freshman finished with eight.

The Crimson wouldn’t go down easily though, and it was only a matter of time before they saw a set through to the end. The third set was a no-doubter as Harvard took it 25-12. The Crimson rattled off four consecutive points early in the frame before they ran away with it. 

Syracuse returned to their winning ways in the fourth set, with a 25-17 victory to clinch the match. The Orange never trailed in that frame, and led by as many as 10. 

Syracuse will head down south to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech in their first ACC match of the year on Friday at 7 p.m.

bwklein@syr.edu | @BradKlein15