Volleyball beats Virginia at home

By Zachary Levine

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse volleyball won its third straight game today, taking down last-place Virginia in straight sets.

The win puts SU one game behind Pittsburgh, Louisville and NC State for the conference lead. Sunday marked the end of a quick weekend at home for the Orange, who also beat Virginia Tech on Friday.

Although the 25-17, 25-19, 25-21, line score may say otherwise, there were multiple close moments in the match. The third set was a toss-up, with UVA tying it up at 21. An error on the attack by Virginia, along with kills from Ebangwese, Gorelina, and Oyawale sealed up the win.

Virginia entered the match with only one ACC victory, which came against Boston College last Thursday. The Cavaliers had 25 attack errors and a .110 hitting percentage.

Anastasiya Gorelina was the kills leader once again for the Orange, with 13 on the afternoon. Offensive powerhouse Jalissa Trotter raked in a match-high 24 assists. It was the second straight game that she led the team in assists.

Head coach Leonid Yelin wasn’t particularly pleased with his team’s performance today, despite another routine victory.

“We did what we had to do to win” said Yelin. “We did not play to the level that we know we can and that will need to change heading into our upcoming matches.”

Yelin also emphasized that his team still needs to work on its defensive strategy, as well as mental readiness. Without an ACC tournament to help boost its resume, the Orange need every win they can get if they want a coveted spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Junior middle blocker Amber Witherspoon commended her team’s communication out on the court, saying it helped on the front line with blocking.

Syracuse is off to its best ACC start in team history (9-3). SU now heads out on the road for four pivotal ACC matches. This week, SU will be in North Carolina to take on UNC and NC State. Next week, the Orange are down in Florida to face Florida State and Miami.