No. 6 Louisville Outclasses Syracuse Volleyball in Sweep
By Ryan Croke | @ryancroke_
LOUISVILLE, KY. | The tale of David and Goliath serves as an inspiration for underdogs across sports. Syracuse volleyball (9-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) failed to fill the role of David in Sunday’s loss to No. 6 Louisville (10-2, 2-0 ACC).
The 2024 national runner-up made short work of the overmatched Orange, who reached the 20-point mark just once in a straight-set sweep.
The Cardinals recorded a .320 hitting percentage, the highest of any Orange opponent this year. Louisville middle blocker Cara Cresse led the way with 12 kills and five blocks. Right-side hitter Kalyssa Blackshear added 11 kills for the Cardinals.
Syracuse struggled to get anything going offensively until the third set, in which it held a 17-14 lead before a 6-0 run from Louisville put the set and the match out of reach. SU’s .040 hitting percentage marks a new season-low and the first sub-.100 figure of the season for the Orange.
Orange outside hitter Gabby McLaughlin tied season lows in digs and kills with eight in each category. No other SU player recorded more than five kills.
SU setter Tehya Maeva’s 12 assists marked her fewest since she had 10 in the season-opening win over Niagara and her fewest all season when appearing in multiple sets. The junior’s 10 digs were a team-high.
Syracuse’s first weekend of conference play ends with mixed results. SU looked strong in its 3-1 win over Notre Dame on Friday, but provided little resistance against sixth-ranked Louisville on Sunday.
The Orange are on the road again next weekend for a pair of matches in the Commonwealth. Syracuse meets Virginia Tech (8-5, 0-2 ACC) on Friday at 6 p.m. then battles Virginia (7-5, 0-2 ACC) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
For coverage of those matches and the rest of Syracuse volleyball’s season, follow @ryancroke_ and @CitrusTVSports on Twitter/X.
