Syracuse swept by Notre Dame to snap 2-game winning streak

With Syracuse leading by one early in the third set, Notre Dame’s Jemma Yeadon fired a kill by a diving Polina Shemanova in the back corner. On the sidelines, SU head coach Leonid Yelin put his head in his hands in disgust as Shemanova rolled over.

The entire match, Syracuse found itself out of position on Notre Dame serves and kill, and committed streaks of errors that derailed comeback opportunities. Its .150 hitting percentage was the lowest of the season, and led to Syracuse’s (12-7, 8-3 Atlantic Coast) two-game winning streak ending Friday night, as the Orange dropped a 3-0 decision to Notre Dame (13-8, 7-4) in the Purcell Pavilion.

In the first set, the Orange jumped out to a 9-4 lead from six kills by four different players and looked like they would seize control from the start. The next fourteen points, however, proved crucial.

Notre Dame went on a 10-4 run, including 8-0 at one point, squashing SU’s momentum and giving the Fighting Irish a lead they would not surrender. Syracuse would close the gap to 22-21 late in the set on a block and kill by Santita Ebangwese, but two Notre Dame kills and a Yuliia Yastrub attack error saw the Fighting Irish take the set 25-21.

Three-straight errors during the second saw Notre Dame break open a 14-13 game and coast to a 25-18 win. The final point that set was an ace by Notre Dame freshman Sydney Bent, who had all three aces of the match.

In the third set, another long run by Notre Dame caused Syracuse to lose the momentum it had gained. Down 10-8, the Fighting Irish used four consecutive kills, three from Charley Niego, to kickstart an 11-3 run that ended with the Orange down 19-13.

Desperate for a spark to help keep the match going, Syracuse switched around their lineup late in the third set in hopes of finding one that clicked. They brought in freshman Keeghan Andrews to serve, but she let a Notre Dame kill blow by her. Then Yelin tried Dana Valelly, Mariia Levanova and Elena Karakasi but with no success. Notre Dame continued its run, and a final kill by Niego won the third set 25-18.

Yastrub had 11 digs to lead the Orange, while Ella Saada contributed 8 kills. Notre Dame was led by Bent and Niego, its freshmen duo who combined for 28 kills.

Notre Dame limited Syracuse freshman Shemanova to four kills and a .176 hitting percentage in the first set, and 11 kills and a .205 hitting percentage overall. Her kill total was the lowest since she had 10 against Pittsburgh back on Oct. 5th.

Syracuse will to get back in the win column when it plays at No. 22 Louisville (17-5, 10-1) on Sunday at 1 p.m.