Syracuse falls in straight sets to UCF

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Almost everyone inside The Venue at UCF held one finger up. The Golden Knights were just one point away from taking the first set against Syracuse. UCF setter Amber Olson bounced the ball twice before serving it over the net. Her hit was easily controlled by Alyssa Bert, who dug the ball toward Riley Hoffman. Hoffman lobbed the ball up for Viktoriia Lokhmanchuk. The senior fired a ball that flew toward the left side of the court, too fast and too powerful for Olson to get to. The game was tied at 26 apiece. 

A quick celebration ensued before Didar Ozcan resumed play for the Orange. Her serve from the backfield resulted in quick set-up play from UCF before Kari Zumach sent a thundering smash into the palms of Naomi Franco and Bre Walp. Although the Syracuse duo altered the ball’s path, it was sent careening to the right into the stands to put UCF back up by one. 

From there on, a costly mistake led to a short offensive possession for Syracuse before the Golden Knights took set one off of a simple kill to win, 28-26, in the second game of the UCF Challenge in Orlando, Florida. 

However, the slim, two-point margin was the closest Syracuse would come to winning a set as the Orange went on to lose the next two. In the second set, numerous unanswered UCF runs secured victory. Early on, the Golden Knights jumped out to a 7-5 lead after starting down 5-3, and not long after, Syracuse dropped four straight points to go down 19-14, allowing two service aces in the process. UCF would go on to win by 5, 25-20. 

The third set was one to forget for Syracuse as frustration set in, resulting in six consecutive unanswered points for the Golden Knights at one point. In the end, UCF won in straight sets, trouncing the Orange in the final set, 25-11.

The Orange’s inability to contain opposition serves was not a problem during the Charlotte Invitational but has become a troubling trend in their last two games. Against Kansas State, Syracuse allowed 11 aces, the most they’ve conceded in a single game so far this season. Against UCF, the Orange could conjure only three, bringing their total to six in the tournament. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights tallied nine this game.

So far this season, Syracuse has looked to Lokhmanchuk and Polina Shemanova to provide offensively, and they did their best today, combining for 24 kills. But, the two outside hitters went the majority of the match with no further help. 

On the defensive side, the Orange produced more digs than the Golden Knights, with senior transfer Alyssa Bert putting up 16 of her own, twice more than the leading UCF player. 

But, the star of the show today was UCF’s McKenna Melville. Her game-high 19 kills against the Orange not only propelled her team to victory but also made her the second player in school history to reach the milestone of 2,000 career kills. The only other Golden Knight to achieve such a feat was Renata Menchikova, who played in Orlando from 1995-97. 

Now 2-3 after beginning the season 2-0, the Orange have one final game in the Sunshine state before they head back home to host the Syracuse tournament. Their opponents to close out the UCF Challenge are 1-3 North Florida, with the first serve set to be at 2 pm on Sept. 3.