Dominant performances from Ebangwese and Witherspoon lift Syracuse past Towson in the NIVC Round of 16

Hamilton, NY — After three straight Towson points evened the score late in the third set, Syracuse knew it had to return to its game plan to keep the game from going any further. The Orange attacked through Santita Ebangwese and Amber Witherspoon all night, leaving the Tigers without answers, but the Orange went away from its trusted strategy for most of the third set.

Witherspoon was called upon to halt Towson’s streak, and she did, sparking a run of individual brilliance that gave her team the win. She powered a kill in between four Towson defenders to give Syracuse the lead, and then added two more kills and a block in SU’s next four points, giving the Orange a set-point opportunity.

After a kill by Towson’s Carola Biver, a Tiger attack attempt was hit out of bounds, ending the game and giving Syracuse a 25-23 third-set win. Witherspoon and Santita Ebangwese carried Syracuse (22-13, 12-8 Atlantic Coast) past Towson (27-6, 12-4 Colonial) in straight-sets Friday night at Colgate University’s Cotterell Court.

Ebangwese (16 kills) and Witherspoon (11 kills) established themselves as offensive threats early on, allowing Syracuse to jump out to leads in the first and second sets. The two middle blockers were fed a combined 61 times on the night, constantly peppering a helpless Tiger defense. Jalissa Trotter (43 assists) was the only SU player to record an assist, while Belle Sand (12 digs) and Aliah Bowllan (10 digs) manned the back line, holding Towson to a .106 hitting percentage.

“We stepped up when we needed,” head coach Leonid Yelin said. “A lot of people were stepping in and helping. It was really good.”

Ebangwese and Witherspoon were on the court together just once the entire game, as only one middle blocker plays at a time. The players substituted for each other early in the first set, and both were dominant. Eight of Syracuse’s first 10 points came from kills by either Ebangwese or Witherspoon, and the Orange maintained a lead for most of the set. But, after Towson scored six of seven points, the advantage was cut to one. Four of Ebangwese’s nine first-set kills came in her team’s final six points, and SU took the opener, 25-22.

“They couldn’t stop me at the beginning, so we were like, ‘let’s keep doing it,’” Ebangwese said.

The two middle blockers were active to start the second set, with each contributing two kills in Syracuse’s first six points prompting a 13-4 run. A 6-1 run got Towson back within four, but two Witherspoon kills kept the Tigers from getting any closer. An attack error by Anastasiya Gorelina, who was seeing her first action after suffering a right ankle injury against Notre Dame on Nov. 22, and a service error by Sand allowed TU to even the score at 19. Then four straight attack errors from the Tigers put the Orange within two points of gaining a two-set advantage. Back-to-back kills from Ebangwese and Mariia Levanova finished off the set, giving SU a 25-22 victory.

Ebangwese and Witherspoon were quiet for most of the third set, as Syracuse looked to get Gorelina more involved. The junior outside hitter tallied four kills in the first half of the set before Towson registered three straight points, leveling the score at 19. Then, Witherspoon re-entered the game and carried the Orange, adding three kills and a block to end the set, 25-23.

“(Coach) was worrying about my ankle and how I was feeling,” Gorelina said. “I said I was ready to fight, and he said to go ahead and play.”

Syracuse’s game plan tonight was centered around setting for its middle blockers, as opposed to last night’s Round of 32 match against Albany in which its outside hitters were the focal point of the offense. Friday night, SU’s middle blockers were set for 62 times, compared to 44 times for its outside hitters. Against Albany, the Orange’s outside hitters were fed 113 times, while the middle blockers had just 44 attack attempts. Syracuse watched Towson’s first set against Colgate last night and studied film this morning.

“Do your best to win, it doesn’t matter how if it looks nice or not,” Yelin said. “That’s what we’re fighting for.”