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In the beginning of the third set, Syracuse outside hitter Marina Markova returned a lofty ball — one that is usually easily defended — back to Duke, but miscommunication resulted in a free point and a kill for Markova, putting Syracuse up 4-0 in the set. A few points later, the Blue Devils dug an Orange kill attempt but rather than setting up an attack, the dig went back in the direction of outside hitter Polina Shemanova, who smashed the ball right back, earning a point and a kill. 

Syracuse’s (12-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) straight-set win over Duke (10-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) was fueled by a strong offensive attack and a struggling Blue Devils’ defense. Last season, the Orange defeated Duke at home in five sets. 

Duke hadn’t lost a set in its previous four games, and Sunday’s defeat marked the first sets the Blue Devils have lost since a matchup against North Carolina. 

Throughout the match, Duke struggled to dig many of SU’s kill attempts. Even when Duke did dig an attempt, it occasionally resulted in many free balls sent back to the Orange, allowing SU to set up another attack. Offensively, Syracuse recorded 54 kills and a .359 hit percentage, while Duke recorded 38 kills and a .221 hit percentage. 

Markova led the Orange in kills with 18 and recorded a .556 kill percentage, while Shemanova recorded 15 kills and a .297 hitting percentage. Markova and Shemanova entered the match with the fourth-most and tenth-most total kills in Division I. Both players were absent last spring, and their return has sparked SU’s attack, which struggled in their absence.

In the first set, Syracuse consistently held the lead and was led by five different players who recorded multiple kills in the set. Elena Karakasi — who head coach Leonid Yelin has described as the “quarterback” of the team — recorded 42 of SU’s 50 total assists in the match.

In the second set, SU sprinted to a 4-0 lead before conceding a point to the Blue Devils. SU never trailed in the set and Markova and Shemanova recorded seven and six kills, respectively. In the third set, Duke kept it close despite being down 4-0 at one point. The Blue Devils also led 25-24, but following a timeout, Syracuse earned three straight points, closing the set and the match — which ended on a Blue Devil defensive error. 

Defensively, SU — led by Lauren Hogan, who recorded 13 for the Orange — outscored Duke in digs 54-42. Shemanova and Karakasi also recorded 12 and 10 digs, respectively.

Sunday’s match was the final of an 11-match road trip, which included three nonconference tournaments. SU returns home on Friday for a match against Wake Forest, a team the Orange defeated in straight sets last season.

Published on September 26, 2021 at 5:51 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini