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Syracuse (8-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) went 2-1 at the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament in Coralville, Iowa, defeating the host Iowa and Ball State while losing to Iowa State — SU’s first loss this season. The Orange opened the season 6-0 with sweeps of the tournament field at Yale and its opening weekend tournament in Syracuse.

Viktoriia Lokhmanchuk recorded a career-high 18 kills against Iowa State while adding double-digit kills against Iowa. Her previous best was 17 kills against Clemson last year. In the first six matches this season, Lokhmanchuk recorded a combined 18 kills before this weekend, however, Lokhmanchuk did not play against Ball State. Polina Shemanova and Marina Markova contributed heavily to the attack, too.

In Thursday’s match against Iowa (0-6, 0-0 Big Ten) SU won in four sets 3-1. In the first set, the Orange trailed by as many as six points (14-8) before going on a 6-0 run to tie the game midway through the set and eventually winning 25-23. To win the second set, SU closed off the set with a 4-0 scoring run with setpoint won by Shemanova’s kill.

After dropping the third set, SU went on a 13-4 run in the middle of the fourth to increase its lead to 8 (22-14), the largest of the game, before closing the final set 25-22. Against the Hawkeyes, Markova led the Orange with 20 kills, while Shemanova (16) and Lokhmanchuk (12) also recorded double-digit kills. Defensively, Yuliia Yastrub (12), Shemanova (15) and Markova (10) all recorded double-digit digs.

On Friday, Iowa State (6-1, 0-0 Big 12) defeated the Orange in five sets. SU never trailed in the first set and led by as many as eight points. The Cyclones responded in the second set, opening on a 5-1 run before SU called a timeout. ISU never trailed throughout the second set. SU won the third, ending on a 9-3 run despite being trailing 15-10 at one point. Ultimately, Iowa State won the final two sets, ending the fifth on a 10-6 run after being tied 5-5.

Shemanova, Lokhmanchuk and Markova combined for 58 of the 64 kills for the Orange, tallying 26, 18 and 14, respectively. Currently, Shemanova’s 26 kills are her season-best. Defensively, Yastrub and Shemanova recorded 15 and 14 digs, respectively, while Lokhmanchuk and Izzy Plummer added four blocks each.

Today, Syracuse swept Ball State (8-2, 0-0 Mid-American) in three sets, due primarily to Shemanova’s 20 kills. Markova and Naomi Franco also recorded 16 and 10 kills, respectively. Defensively, Markova and Elena Karakasi led the team in digs with 13 and 10 digs, respectively.

Syracuse completes nonconference play next weekend in a tournament in Starkville, Mississippi, playing host Mississippi State as well as a South Alabama and Jackson State, one of five 2020 NCAA tournament teams the Orange will face. On Sept. 22, SU begins Atlantic Coast Conference play at Boston College, a team the Orange swept in its two meetings last season. Syracuse will return home on Oct. 1 against Wake Forest, SU’s first home match since hosting the Syracuse Invitational Aug. 27 and 28.

Published on September 11, 2021 at 6:02 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini