Syracuse volleyball’s defensive miscues lead to 3rd consecutive straight-set loss

The ball floated in the air long enough that it seemed as if it was going to hit back wall of the gym. Instead, it fell to the ground in an arc-like motion and just barely grazed the end line of the orange colored court.

Players on Syracuse stood still and watched the ball land in-bounds.

Moments later, those players shook hands with Hofstra’s.

It was the beginning of a game-ending run by Hofstra (6-2) that sent Syracuse (0-5) to its third straight 3-0 loss.

With sophomore middle blocker Santita Ebangwese out due to a medical issue, the starting lineup was adjusted with Christina Oyawale, Amber Witherspoon and Leah Levert taking her place. The Orange wasn’t able to compensate defensively as plays often ended with players looking at each other and not the ball.

“Defense and serve receive definitely were a struggle today,” SU head coach Leonid Yelin said.

Syracuse started off the game by allowing an ace on the first serve of the game and miscommunication on defense helped Hofstra jump out to a quick 3-0 lead. The Pride did not lose the lead and won the set 25-18.

Throughout the season, Syracuse has repeatedly fallen behind early and been unable to catch up. The same problem hurt the Orange again on Friday.

Setter Jalissa Trotter said it lies in the way the team is reading their opponents’ offense. Ball-watching has led to easy points.

“I think the biggest thing is watching our hitter’s arms,” Trotter said. “I think a lot of times we are getting off and maybe passing them a little bit or too far in and we are not watching their arm well enough.”

Hofstra exploited space on the court with strong kills, lob shots, drop shots and aces.

In the second set, the Orange began to sub players in and out to try to find a solution to the defensive breakdowns. Outside hitter Mackenzie Weaver was shifted around the court while Kendra Lukacs and Oyawale were put in to try to defend the back and front corners.

But Hofstra kept finding space.

Syracuse’s defensive miscues led to offensive ones. The Orange continued to hit balls into the net and out of bounds after failed digs. SU lost the second set, 25-18.

After Syracuse began the third set with a 4-1 lead, Hofstra won 10 of the next 11 points.

Syracuse responded with a 10-3 run of its own, a last-gasp attempt, as Jalissa Trotter, Belle Sand and Leah Levert desperately tried to get the team’s energy up.

“I think that everybody on the team can be a leader,” Levert said, “we just need to know when to lead.”

Trotter contributed 21 assists, Sand recorded a team-high five digs and Levert had eight kills.

It still wasn’t enough as serving errors and more defensive miscues put SU against itself.