Polina Shemanova leads way with 21 kills as SU defeats Wake Forest 3-1

Syracuse (7-4, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) continued its strong start in conference play with a 3-1 over Wake Forest (5-10, 0-3) Friday night. SU improved to 3-0 in the ACC for the first since joining in 2013. Freshman Polina Shemanova finished the match with 21 kills, recording her first career 20-kill game in conference play.

Unlike the two wins at home last weekend, the Orange found itself in danger of dropping straight sets during its first road match in conference play.

After winning the first set 25-19, SU could not capitalize on its quick start in the second set, blowing an early 4-1 lead and losing 25-21. It seemed the Orange had taken control in the third set with a 13-10 lead, but instead found itself tied with the Demon Deacons at 15 and in need of a spark to avoid dropping consecutive sets.

Shemanova tallied two consecutive kills led to a Wake Forest timeout and kickstarted a 10-2 run by the Orange to close out the set.

Syracuse used another late run in the fourth set, a 4-0 scoring streak, to break a 21-21 tie and claim the set. During this run, Shemanova again contributed a pair of consecutive kills. This time, they were the final two points of the match. Friday marked the fifth time this season she has registered 20 or more kills in a match.

Senior setter Jalissa Trotter contributed 44 assists, while Santita Ebangwese chipped in 13 kills and had a season-high 9 blocks for the Orange. Syracuse’s .308 hitting percentage nearly doubled Wake Forest’s .173,

Syracuse improved its overall set record to 9-2 in conference play. It will visit Duke (7-5, 1-2) Sunday at 1 p.m.