Syracuse falls to 0-3 in ACC play after losing to Virginia in 4 sets
By Rahill Jaiswal | @RahillJaiswal
Coming into Friday night’s match, Syracuse volleyball hadn’t lost to Virginia in 20 years. Unfortunately for SU, that streak came to an end. The Orange fell 3-1 to the Cavaliers on the road.
Syracuse started well, splitting the first 16 points. However, a 5-1 scoring run from Virginia propelled them to a 25-18 first set. UVA did a great job of exploiting one on one match ups at the net in the middle stage of the set. The Cavaliers defense also held the Orange to a 6% kill percentage in the opening frame.
The second set was similar to the first. Syracuse started well, staying close in the early stages. However, Virginia pulled away in the middle stages thanks to quick and efficient offense. UVA managed to post a 40% kill percentage. That percentage was nearly 12 percent higher than the opening set. Virginia solid defense also carried over, holding Syracuse to a kill percentage under 10%.
Set three, was a little different from the opening two frames. Syrcause dominated the middle stages taking a 16-11 lead thanks to 5 aces from freshman Zharia Harris-Waddy. The Orange held strong from there, taking the third set 25-14.
Unfortunately for SU, set 4 was where the comeback attempt would end. Virginia got an early lead and never looked back. UVA would post its best kill percentage of the match to swiftly finish the set and match 25-16.
Despite the loss, Syracuse can take some positives from the loss. The Orange won their first set in ACC play this season. Not to mention, Cherlin Antonio continued her unbelievable play this season, posting a team high 16 kills. This marks the seventh consecutive match that Antonio managed to have double digit kills. The Orange also got great serving from Harris-Waddy who led the team with five aces.
The Orange fall to 2-11 and 0-3 in ACC play so far this season. They will wrap up their road trip on Sunday against No. 8 Pittsburgh. First serve is set for 1:00 PM.
