Freshman Abigail Casiano answering Syracuse’s blocker questions

In its third-straight win over Harvard on Saturday, Syracuse conceded another scoring run in the first set. After keeping pace with the Crimson in the first half of the set, the Orange let up four unanswered points to give Harvard a three-point advantage.

Syracuse needed to find a way to spark a comeback.

Head coach Leonid Yelin made some adjustments, taking one of his regular outside hitters, junior Yuliia Yastrub, to the middle because of her 6-foot-2 frame. The shift worked, as Yastrub recorded a key block to pull Syracuse back into the set, which the Orange won 25-23.

Yelin and the rest of his staff are making these shifts to try and replicate the blocking results from the past few seasons. With Amber Witherspoon graduating and Santita Ebangwese moving on from Syracuse (3-4), the coaching staff has been faced with the challenge of finding new pieces to fit into Yelin’s blocking scheme. Freshman Abigail Casiano, who’s now tied for the team-high in blocks, has proved to be a quick learner.

“We know our assets and know what we have,” said assistant coach Derryk Williams. Williams also admitted Casiano and fellow freshman Isabella Plummer don’t have the same physical gifts as the graduated Witherspoon.

So far, the transition has been smooth. Through their first seven games, the Orange have out-blocked their opponents 48-39. Syracuse was out-blocked only once, and that was against undefeated Baylor.

Casiano, a freshman, impressed in those first seven games, as her three blocks against both Marquette and Baylor were bright spots in losses. Casiano, who played club volleyball in high school, entered Syracuse as a proven asset whom Yelin expected to start. In 2019, Casiano has blocked 20 kills, tied with Yastrub for the most on the team.

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Besides using Casiano as a blocker, another way that the coaching staff has tried to fill some holes up front is by moving some of the outside hitters into the middle. Yastrub, a junior, is one of those players who has sacrificed time at her regular position to help the team in the middle. She recorded a team-high five blocks in a 3-1 win over Harvard on Sept. 21.

“She always puts the team before herself,” said Yelin of Yastrub. “She was willing to move to a position she never played before here, and we really appreciate that.”

When SU needs Yastrub to rotate into the middle, freshman Marina Markova replaces her on the outside. Setter Elena Karakasi has also contributed in the blocking game, recording four against Harvard.

With conference play starting this Friday against Georgia Tech, how SU’s coaching staff positions their blockers will be even more important.

“It’s all about training the right way. We do hundreds of thousands of reps of doing it the right way.” said Williams. “The way Yelin has developed his blocking scheme is unbelievable. Once we learn it as a staff, the girls pick it up quickly.”