Volleyball: Blue Devils Beat Orange 3-1

Story and photos by Kelsey Snider

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -  Syracuse Orange Volleyball took on the University of Duke Blue Devils Sunday afternoon in the Women’s Building looking for another win after beating Wake Forest on Friday.

But the Blue Devils (16-6, 10-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat the Orange (6-16, 5-7 ACC) three sets to one.

“I just think we played a more disciplined team,” said Syracuse’s sophomore middle blocker Santita Ebangwese.  “The mistakes we made on Friday we couldn’t make today and we did and therefore it resulted in a loss.”

Set 1:

It was back and forth for the start of set one. The Orange and the Blue Devils were tied at 4-4.

Duke then got on a six-point run and started to pull away from Syracuse. The score was 10-5.

Syracuse continued to give up point runs, and Duke went on another four-point run further pulling away from the Orange making the score 16-10.

Syracuse tried to stay in the game, but Duke kept getting kills and went on another four-point run and

the Blue Devils took set one handily at 25-15.

Set 2:

It was a slow start for both the Orange and the Blue Devils in set two.

The set started off with two unforced errors by Syracuse – a passing error followed by an unforced hitting error.

Duke took the lead, but Syracuse stayed close not letting the Blue Devils get more than three points ahead and the Orange tied up the score at 9-9, then went on to take the lead with three kills in a row, which brought the score to 13-10.

The Blue Devils didn’t let that affect them and stayed close to the Orange. Duke tied the score at 20-20.

Syracuse took the lead back with three of the five points being kills from junior setter Jalissa Trotter.

Trotter had a total of eight kills in the match with a hitting percentage of .304.

“I just try to stay aggressive regardless of what position I’m playing, whether coach is wanting me to set, play defense,” Trotter said. “I just try to be aggressive that’s the only thing. I just go for it.”

Even with the lower hitting percentage, the Orange held off the Blue Devils taking the second set 25-23 and evening the match.

Set 3:

After losing set two, the Blue Devils started off  the third strong with a five-point run.

“They were putting much more pressure on us even when it’s not perfect pass,” Syracuse’s head coach Leonid Yelin said. “They still playing so fast offense…it was a lot of pressure on us.”

Syracuse fought back with two blocks back-to-back to come within a point of Duke and from then, the Orange started to get in a groove and tied the score at 8-8 with two kills from the outside and the back row.

The Orange took the lead for the first time in the set at 17-16 and held it until they made two attack errors tying the score at 20-20.

The Blue Devils took that opportunity and went on a four-point run making the score 24-20.

Syracuse got the ball back but Duke got a side out with a kill taking set three 25-21.

Set 4:

Duke again took the lead early in set four and held Syracuse consistently three points behind.

The Blue Devils then started to pull away even farther in the middle of the set at 17-13 and used a four-point run to make it 21-14

Syracuse tried to stay in the match with a returned three-point run getting a couple of kills from the middle making the score 24-20 but it wasn’t enough. The Blue Devils won the set 25-21 and with it the match.

Looking Ahead:

Syracuse will play the Boston College Eagles on Wednesday, Nov. 2, in Chestnut Hill, Mass. at 7:30 pm. Duke will return home to Durham, N.C. to play the University of Louisville Cardinals on Friday, Nov. 4, at 3 p.m..