Syracuse pulls out 4-set road win at Duke

Syracuse (10-6, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) defeated Duke (10-4, 2-1) in four sets Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC. The Orange won both of the opening two sets, 25-17 and 25-18, dropped the third, 25-22, and closed the match out in the fourth with a 25-17 victory.

Syracuse was paced by the balanced attack of Anastasiya Gorelina, Ella Saada, and Santita Ebangwese. The three recorded 15, 15 and 10 kills respectively. Jalissa Trotter piled up a season high 43 assists. Belle Sand registered 25 digs on the night. As a team, Syracuse posted a hitting percentage of .304, its second-highest percentage of the season.

In the opening set, Syracuse found themselves in a tight battle, up 16-14. After a timeout by head coach Leonid Yelin, the Orange ended the set on a 9-3 run, capping off the set with a kill by Ebangwese. The second set was more of the same, as a late 10-3 run ended a set that was knotted at 15.

In the third set, Syracuse appeared to be headed towards a straight set victory, leading 20-17. Then Duke rattled off eight of the next 10 points, closing out the set and capturing the momentum. The Orange turned the tables in the fourth, opening up an 18-6 lead and never looking back. Saada registered six kills in the final set alone, and her 15 for the night was her second highest kill tally of the season.

Syracuse continues ACC play on Sunday, as the Orange travel to Wake Forest on Sunday at 1pm.