Despite losing to No. 15 Ohio State (8-1), Syracuse (6-2) bounced back to win against LIU (0-7) to finish its weekend at the LIU Blackbird Invitational.

Syracuse’s first set of the day started with three consecutive Ohio State points. The Buckeyes dominated from there, winning the set 25-12.

The second set was much more tightly contested, as the score differential was never more than two. With the score tied 23-23, Ohio State made two errors and the set went to the Orange.

Syracuse played another tight set in the third, leading 13-10 before the Buckeyes won six points in a row to take a late three-point lead. Down 21-17, the Orange tied the score at 23-23 before losing the last two points on an Ohio State kill and an error from senior outside hitter Silvi Uattara.

Capitalizing on its third-set success, Ohio State opened the fourth with a string of six points. But the Orange went on to win seven out of the next eight points, including a sequence of three consecutive kills by three different players, to tie the set at seven.

Syracuse kept it close for a while, but at 19-17 in favor of the Buckeyes, Ohio State began a five-point streak that brought the team to match point. OSU went on to win the set 25-18, concluding the match.

Senior middle blocker Monika Salkute led the Orange in kills with 11, while senior setter Gosia Wlaszczuk continued her early-season success with 35 assists.

The second game of the day was a completely different story, as Syracuse won it by the same score it lost the first.

While the first set featured no dominant runs from either side, the Orange found itself holding a commanding late lead as it was up 24-19 against LIU. The Blackbirds won the next three points, but Syracuse held them off to win 25-22.

Long Island controlled the second set from the beginning, winning four points in a row after falling behind 2-1 to take a 5-2 lead. Syracuse lost the set 25-22.

The first 18 points of the third set were split between the two teams, but Syracuse pulled ahead to win the set 25-17. They carried that momentum with them into the fourth set, which they won 25-12.

It was another impressive performance from Wlaszczuk, who recorded 38 assists, five blocks, and 12 digs. Freshman middle blocker Santita Ebangwese also stood out with six blocks of her own and 11 kills to accompany them.

Syracuse will play its first home matches of the season next weekend in the Big Orange Tournament against New Hampshire (6-5), Navy (2-8), and Buffalo (0-8).

Published on September 12, 2015 at 11:07 pm

Contact Kevin: kjpacell@syr.edu