Polina Shemanova’s school-record 36 kills leads SU to 3-2 win over Louisville

Polina Shemanova rose above the net and cocked her arm back for what appeared to be a spike. While in the air, she adjusted, instead glancing the ball gently off her fingertips to find a hole between Louisville’s blocker and libero. On the next play, she again lobbed the ball into an empty space in the Cardinals defense to extend the Orange’s third-set lead. Then two plays later, she exposed another weak area in the opponent’s defense.

Time and time again, Shemanova showed her dominance. She recorded a Syracuse-record 36 kills in Sunday’s win over Louisville (15-7, 8-4 Atlantic Coast). The 3-2 victory to beat the third-place Cardinals came after the Orange (8-11, 5-7) upset the conference’s then-second best team, Notre Dame, on Friday. After beating the Fighting Irish, head coach Leonid Yelin was unsure of whether the win was a one-time performance, or if the momentum would continue into Sunday’s matchup. His team didn’t disappoint. 

“Every time we’re playing against a high-ranking team, the team is playing well, and playing so hard,” Yelin said. “I’m glad they came today with the attitude and belief that they can beat them.” 

Shemanova’s record number of kills came from 78 total attacks. For the Orange, having a player of Shemanova’s caliber who is reliable in the game’s most important moments is a luxury, Yelin said. Though she’s led the Orange all season with kills powering through blockers, she outsmarted Louisville by avoiding numerous double- and triple-team blocks. In the fifth set, Syracuse played through Shemanova, who recorded six kills in the frame, continuing to make smart plays that exposed the Cardinals’ defensive holes. 

“(The fourth set) gave us momentum which we carried into the fifth,” assistant coach Derryk Williams said. “And we just put our foot on the gas and took care of it.” 

The second set saw Syracuse pull through numerous set-points and win 28-26. Shemanova’s kills combined with a block from Dana Gardner and another kill from Yuliia Yastrub gave the Orange the set. That momentum carried into the third frame, where minimal attacking errors gave SU as much as a nine-point lead.

Elena Karakasi had a career-high 57 assists, mainly to Shemanova. But like against Notre Dame, when numerous poor sets forced adjustments from her outside hitters, her overall performance was inconsistent.

On Sunday, she improved, but consecutive errors during the fourth set forced Yelin to sub her out. She tried a toss down, which was returned, then later in the point, tried another, which resulted in a Louisville score.

“I said to her right away, you know that’s not acceptable,” Yelin said. “We know you can do this, and you’re ready to do this, and you have to do this.” 

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After the conversation, Karakasi returned to her usual form — she made adjustments on difficult passes and set the ball cross-court to give Shemanova attacking opportunities. Then, in the fifth set, she repeated the toss down, this time with success, landing the ball in the middle of four outstretched Louisville defenders to help secure the victory for the Orange. 

Abby Casiano, a freshman middle blocker, supported Shemanova’s attacking play, recording seven kills from 10 total attacks. Rising high over the ball and spiking straight into the ground in the middle of the court, Casiano’s kill clinched the third set for the Orange. 

“To win tight sets, tight matches with young players is important,” Williams said. “When it comes down to it in the future, they’re gonna have (this) experience to rely on.”

Though not as severe as Friday’s first-set shutdown, the Orange suffered from another slow start as they dropped the first set 25-23. But SU continued its rhythm from Friday, playing organized defense. 24 digs each from both libero Aliah Bowllan and outside hitter Ella Saada to go with 17 from Shemanova kept Syracuse on pace with Louisville’s offense. 

While her counterparts supported her play, it was Shemanova’s record-breaking afternoon that was the difference for the Orange in their third straight win. Her consistent and timely kills separated SU from Louisville as the Orange kept fighting throughout the game.

“I always say to them, to lose points, to lose one set, I’m okay, I’ve been there,” Yelin said. “(But) I don’t want to lose players. So nobody quit.”