Syracuse Volleyball narrowly beats Cornell

By Zac Ventola | @ZacVentola 

Ithaca, NY – Syracuse volleyball (3-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) wrapped up its three day trip to the Cornell Invitational against the host team itself. SU took down Cornell (1-2, 0-0 Ivy League) 3-2. Both sides looked evenly matched, but the ‘Cuse ultimately pulled away with the tight win. 

The Orange improved to 26-2 all-time against the Big Red. SU is also above .500 for the first time this season, after winning all three of its matches in the Cornell Invitational. 

Syracuse headed into this week 0-2, after having been swept by both Cincinnati and Illinois. However, SU followed that up with two sweeps of its own against Howard and UAlbany.

The first set was a sign of things to come for the entire match. The Orange and Big Red went back-and-forth early on in the set. Even when Syracuse pulled ahead by five at the media timeout, Cornell fought back by winning six of the following seven points.

The Orange pulled away in the end, however, winning three consecutive points to take the first set 25-22. 

The second set played out similarly, but not in favor of the ‘Cuse. Each squad rallied for a handful of long, well-earned points toward the beginning of the set. While Syracuse won the race to 15, Cornell had it tied back up at 20. Ultimately, the Big Red tied up the match with a 25-23 set win. 

However, just as each point went back-and-forth, each set did too. 

Syracuse came out firing in the third set, taking a three point lead early on. It maintained that lead up through the media timeout, but Cornell quickly responded. Coming out of the break, the Big Red scored three straight to tie up the set. The Orange were up by two at set point, but that lead was erased just as quickly. However, SU quickly bounced back and won the set, 26-24.

After three close sets, Cornell pulled away convincingly in the fourth.

The Big Red won the set’s first four points, and carried that momentum. SU trailed by five at the media timeout, before Cornell won four consecutive points coming out of the break. The ‘Cuse lost the fourth set by double-digits, 25-15.

Despite Cornell having all the momentum, Syracuse dominated the fifth set. Outside hitter Kiernan Stamey put the Orange ahead by two nearly midway through the set. The Big Red called timeout after trailing by as much as six.

While Cornell fought back to tighten the deficit, it was not quite enough. Syracuse won the final set by a 15-11 margin, and won the match 3-2.

Despite the win, the Orange were plagued by attack errors. Syracuse tallied 35, compared to Cornell’s 19.

Syracuse had three players tally 14 or more kills. Keila Gabriel (16), Kiernan Stamey (14) and Emma Williams (14) paved the way for SU’s offensive attack. Abby Nicholson also chipped in with nine kills of her own. 

After going undefeated in the Cornell invitational, SU turns the page to its home opener. The ‘Cuse takes on Arkansas (3-2, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) for an ACC-SEC challenge. 

For coverage of the Orange vs. Razorbacks and the entirety of Syracuse Volleyball’s season, follow @ZacVentola and @CitrusTVSports on X.