Syracuse blows a two-set lead in loss to No. 10 USC
One week ago, Syracuse overcame the odds and came back from two sets down against UConn. Today, the Orange were on the other side of a big swing.
After taking a two set to nothing lead against No. 10 USC (6-3), Syracuse (2-2) fell to the Trojans, 3-2. It’s the second-straight loss for SU.
Late in the first set, Syracuse led USC by one point, 20-19. The Trojans attacked the left side of the court, looking for the open area. Junior Aliah Bowlan dove onto the floor to save the point, just barely feeding the ball in the direction of senior Jalissa Trotter. Trotter, in a last-ditch attempt, hit the ball towards redshirt senior Amber Witherspoon. Witherspoon tapped the ball over the net almost without looking. Her slight touch stunned the Trojans, as no one could come close before it smacked the ground. Now ahead by two, Syracuse wouldn’t relinquish its lead in the first set, taking it 25-22.
Syracuse was on the verge of losing the second set down 23-22. Freshman Polina Shemanova, right when SU needed her, was unstoppable late in the second, recording three kills in the final seven points of the set. She finished the match with a team-high 20. Behind its star freshman, SU ended the set on a 5-2 run, winning it 27-25.
In the third set, Syracuse had no answer for the Trojans’ outside hitters. USC recorded 10 kills on 18 attacking attempts in the set. While SU had 10, it did so on 27 attempts, mustering an insufficient 11 percent attack percentage in the third set. That, along with four service aces from Southern California, gave the third set to the Trojans, 25-14.
The fourth set was a continuation of the third for SU. Its outside hitters struggled to find the mark, tallying only seven kills on 43 attempts. From the start of the set, USC had the clear edge. The Trojans jumped out to a six-point lead that quickly blossomed into a 16-5 advantage. While SU rebounded with five-straight points, it wasn’t enough, as USC easily won the fourth set 25-14.
SU and USC split the first four points of the fifth set, but after a 4-1 run, USC grabbed a 6-3 lead. In the final set, down three points early, Syracuse looked lifeless. Head coach Leonid Yelin made a bold decision: he substituted freshman Elena Karakasi in for the more experienced Trotter. Immediately it made a difference. She assisted on junior Ella Saada’s kill on the next point and was impactful in an attack error by USC sophomore Brooke Botkin. The Orange would eventually tie the set back up at 10-10, but Botkin and the Trojans were too much for SU. USC won the decisive fifth set, 15-13.
Syracuse will play its final match of the Marquette tournament on Sunday, Sep. 9 at 1 P.M against the host No. 25 Marquette.
