Volleyball: Orange beats Demon Deacons 3-2

Story and photos by Kelsey Snider

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Orange Volleyball was back in the Women’s Building Friday evening with a lively crowd as it took on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. It would be a battle for both teams the entire match.

After losing two matches on the road last weekend, the Orange (6-15, 5-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) looking for a win, beat the Demon Deacons (9-13, 5-6 ACC) three sets to two.

However, the Orange players are not satisfied and want more.  

“We need to stay consistent, and we have to continuously talk to each other,” sophomore middle blocker Santita Ebangwese said.

Set 1:

It was a slow start for Wake Forest with unforced hitting errors giving Syracuse momentum to take the lead.

That slow start would not be the determining factor for the rest of the set.

Wake Forest fought back with defense and attacking and tied the set at 11-11. From that point on it was neck and neck for both teams. It wasn’t until the score was 16-16 when the Demon Deacons took the lead for the first time in the set with a four-point run making the score 20-16.

Stopping the run with a stuff block the Orange tied the score back up at 20-20. Head Coach Leonid Yelin said the biggest factor in the win was the team’s blocking.

Syracuse has the chance to win the set at 25-24, but an attack error tied the score back up at 25-25.

Syracuse won the close first set 28-26.

Set 2:

Wake Forest's players kept their heads going into the second set. The Demon Deacons took the lead early with a three point run making the score 8-5.

Syracuse fought to stay in the set, not letting the Demon Deacons get more that a two-point run.

It wasn’t until the score was 17-13 that Wake Forest started to pull away but the Demon Deacons used a four-point run starting at 21-16 to seal the deal.

The defense from both teams remained strong. The Demon Deacons had a total of four blocks and the Orange eight going into the third set.

“Our block did amazing, and our block sets up our defense,” junior libero Belle Sand said. “I can contribute a lot of my digs, like being in the right position based off our block.”

Set 3:

Wake Forest continued the momentum from set two and started off with a six-point lead. Syracuse, however pulled within two points of the Demon Deacons at 8-6.

The Orange kept fighting point by point and after a three point run Syracuse took the lead for the first time in the set at 15-14.

Both teams kept it close for the rest of the match with long rallies. Both teams’ offensive and defensive play was in rhythm.

The defense was starting to frustrate the attackers for both sides as more hitting errors were made. Syracuse had a total of 18 attack errors making the attack percentage .167 going into the fourth set. Wake Forest had a total of 24 making its attack percentage .220.

The Demon Deacons held off the Orange and took the set 25-23.

Set 4:

The Orange was down but not out and after trailing early in the fourth set, took the lead at 9-8. From there it was back and forth the entire set. The Orange pulled away at 20-17 with a quick attack from the middle, but the Demon Deacons closed it to 23-22.

With a chance to earn points, Wake Forest served the ball into the net giving Syracuse match point. Wake Forest got a kill and an ace tying the score to 24-24.

But the Demon Deacons had a miscommunication on the court giving the Orange the set win at 26-24 and the match at 2-2.

Set 5:

The Orange came into the fifth set strong with a three point run and kept the lead at the switch 8-6.
After the switch, the Orange took charge, winning the fifth set 15-8 and the match 3-2.

Wake Forest had no answer for Syracuse’s middle attack, especially by Ebangwese. She led both teams with 16 kills hitting .640 for the night.

“When ‘Tasty’ [Ebangwese] pounds a ball, I think everyone on the team feels her excitement,” Sand said.

Looking Ahead:

The Orange will be back in the Women’s Building on Sunday, October 30^th, at 1pm to play the University of Duke Blue Devils. The Demon Deacons will travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to play the Boston College Eagles.