Syracuse Volleyball drops third game in a row; Falls to Miami 3-1 on the road
By Ryan Croke | @ryancroke_
CORAL GABLES, Fla. | Syracuse volleyball (13-9, 5-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost in four sets to No. 15 Miami (17-5, 8-3 ACC) on Sunday. The result leaves the Orange with plenty to be proud of, but also at a low point in their season.
It’s the third straight defeat for the Orange, the longest losing streak of the season. SU falls two games below .500 in conference play with another ACC loss.
On the other hand, Syracuse took a thrilling opening set 29-27 in a major moment for the rebuilding program. It’s the first time SU has led a ranked opponent under head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam.
SU displayed impressive fight throughout, particularly in the first and third frames. In set three, the Orange trailed 23-17 before storming back to make it 24-23. Miami won the set 25-23, but it was an inspiring effort from Syracuse.
Miami’s attack ran through one player and one player only. Outside hitter Flormarie Heredia Colon tallied 33 kills for the Canes, passing Virginia freshman Reagan Ennist’s 32 kills for the most of any individual player against Syracuse this season.
The only other player on either side to reach double-digit kills was Syracuse outside hitter Gabby McLaughlin, who tallied 13.
SU setter Tehya Maeva put together an all-around performance, tallying five kills, 28 assists, six aces, five digs, and three blocks.
The result feels like an inflection point for the Orange. Leading after the first frame is a major accomplishment and yet another sign from this season that the rebuild is making strides. A third straight loss suggests the team is losing steam after surpassing all expectations in the first half of conference play.
How SU responds to the positive and negative from Sunday’s defeat will dictate the course of the remaining season.
The Orange return home to welcome Clemson (13-10, 1-10 ACC) on Friday at 6 p.m. and Georgia Tech (11-9, 6-5 ACC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Tigers rank last in the conference. The Yellow Jackets received votes in the latest AVCA rankings.
For coverage of those matches and the remaining Syracuse volleyball season, follow @ryancroke_ and @CitrusTVSports on Twitter/X.
