Volleyball Cruises by Clemson 3-0, Improves to 6-3 in ACC

By: Ryan Bridges | @RyanBridges517

CitrusTV Volleyball Beat Reporter

CLEMSON, S.C. – Volleyball cruised to a 3-0 victory against Clemson on Friday.

However, at the start of the first set, the Orange were trying to keep up with the Tigers.

Syracuse would settle into the match about halfway through the first set and never looked back.

An underrated factor throughout the first set was the ceiling inside Jervey Gym. There were several times where Clemson would powerfully hit the ball straight at an SU defender. This forced Syracuse to hit the ball so high that the roof would deflect it. This made it hard for the Orange to know where the ball was going.

Syracuse became more comfortable as the set went on, but the Tigers let them back into the game by hitting the ball out of bounds way too many times. They had a game-high eight errors in the first set which propelled SU to a 25-23 set win.

The Orange immediately took control of the second set, starting on a 9-2 run. Clemson did well to climb back into the game, only trailing 20-16 at one point. Nevertheless, SU went on a 5-1 run and won the set, 25-17.

Going to Friday’s match, Syracuse’s only straight-set win was against North Florida back on September 3rd.

Clemson started the third set leading 9-6, but the Orange won the next six points to take a 12-6 lead. The Orange were now in the driver’s seat and could finally close out the match.

Viktoriia Lokhmanuck and Polina Shemanova combined for nine kills in the period. SU won the third set, 25-19.

This win brings Syracuse to 6-3 in the ACC.

The Orange will now have one of their toughest matches of the season. They take on #10 Georgia Tech on Sunday.