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After conceding five straight points and trailing 18-14 to Virginia in the third set, a block by Syracuse’s Abby Casiano and Diana Akopova on a kill attempt by Grace Turner capped off a 4-0 run to tie the set at 18 points, forcing the Cavaliers to take a timeout. From there, the Orange won 7 of the next 11 points to win the set and the match, having already won the previous two.

Syracuse (16-10, 5-9 Atlantic Coast) defeated Virginia (8-16, 1-13 ACC) in straight sets on Sunday, snapping a three-game losing streak. The victory marks SU’s first win on the road since defeating Duke in three sets on Sept. 26. Sunday’s match represented the only one of the season between the Orange and the Cavaliers.

SU bested a Virginia side who ranks No. 136 in the rating percentage index. UVA last won a match against North Carolina in late September, the only conference win of the season for the Cavaliers. Last season, the only matchup between Syracuse and Virginia was canceled.

Once again, middle blocker Marina Markova led the Orange, complemented by a strong performance by Casiano on the offensive end. Markova, who earned her second ACC co-player of the week honors last week, recorded a game-high 18 kills on 40 attempts. Casiano added nine kills of her own while recording a .444 hitting percentage.

Statistically, the Orange performed better than the Cavaliers in several categories as a team, notching 48 kills, 47 digs and a .263 hitting percentage. UVA recorded 42, 43 and .176, respectively.

In the first set, Syracuse jumped out a quick 4-0 lead with outside hitter Polina Shemanova recording two straight aces in the run. Syracuse never trailed in the set and held a consistent lead of four to six points before winning the set, 25-19. SU last won the first set in a match against Clemson, four matches ago on Oct. 24.

After trailing 2-1 early in the second set, the Orange went on a 6-0 scoring run to distance themselves from the Cavaliers, leading 7-2. UVA, however, eventually managed to come back from the deficit and retook the lead in the middle of the set, 13-12. SU regained the lead and began to increase its lead, ultimately taking the set 25-22.

In the third set, both teams went back and forth early on. UVA managed to distance itself to a 10-6 lead, but dropping eight of the next 11 points, Syracuse jumped ahead on the scoreboard 14-13. Both teams traded scoring runs and found themselves equal on the scoreboard at 18. Syracuse ultimately won the set and the match, earning a much-needed win after dropping eight of its previous nine matches.

Syracuse returns to the court at home this weekend with matches against No. 3 Pittsburgh and Florida State, both teams who have previously defeated SU this season. The Orange were easily dominated in three sets by the Panthers this past Friday and fell to the Seminoles in five sets after coming back from a two-set deficit. Syracuse will face Duke on Nov. 21 to complete a three-game homestand.

Published on November 7, 2021 at 3:55 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini