SU women’s volleyball continues their undefeated season with a nail biter over Iowa
By Annie Klaff
CitrusTV’s Volleyball Reporter
It was nothing short of a back-and-forth, close night on the volleyball court in Coralville, Iowa. Syracuse took the match 3 sets to 1 against Iowa. SU went into the match undefeated this 2021 season with 6 wins. On the complete contrary, Iowa came in winless 0-4. Based on prior stats and the way the Orange stormed the court, one would’ve thought SU had this game in the bag. However, it was quite an even match for the Orange and the Hawkeyes. Syracuse secured the first two sets against Iowa 25-23 and 25-20, respectively. The Orange doubled the Hawks’ kills in the second set, but the third held a complete 180-degree shift for Iowa. Not only did the Hawkeyes control set 3 with 19 total kills, but they held either a consistent lead or tie for the entire 25 points. Syracuse had their chances in the third, but ultimately, Iowa’s Hannah Clayton led the game with a 46.7 hitting percentage. Even though Iowa certainly put up a good fight, set 4 gave Syracuse a chance to get their mojo back. The Orange victoriously stole the fourth set 25-22.
Standout player for the Orange tonight was Marina Markova. The junior from St. Petersburg, Russia was at the top of the leaderboard in two significant ways. 20 kills for the 6’5” middle blocker and 22.5 points, topping both teams. Additionally, SU’s Florida native, Abby Casiano, led both sides with 7 blocks. The Hawkeyes’ contributors to their strong fight include performances from Courtney Buzzerio with 20 kills and Addie VanderWeide with 15. There’s no doubt that the Hawks held their own and gave the Orange a run for their money for some time tonight, but SU continued their undefeated roll, making their season record 7 and 0.
Syracuse’s next challenge for their perfect 2021 season is tomorrow at Iowa State at 5. Stay tuned with live updates on the match tomorrow night with @CitrusTVSports on Twitter.
@annieklaff | aklaff@citrustv.net
