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Despite a late comeback attempt, Syracuse fell to Virginia Tech in five sets on Sunday. The loss leaves the Orange winless on their two-game road trip and extends their losing streak on the road to eight consecutive games.

Syracuse opened the match on a 6-1 run that began with two kills from outside hitter Ella Saada and gave the Orange an 18-14 lead. Syracuse’s success didn’t last long, though, as the Hokies roared back on a 7-2 run fueled by three straight attack errors from Syracuse outside hitter Viktoriia Lokhmanchuk. The Orange didn’t back down, though, winning the set 25-23 on an emphatic block by middle blocker Abby Casiano and setter Elena Karakasi.

Both teams came into the matchup after being dominated by Georgia Tech in each of its previous matches. The Hokies fell to the Yellow Jackets in straight sets on Friday, and the Orange did the same the next day. Syracuse (5-7, 5-7 Atlantic Coast) was looking to even their record at .500, but Virginia Tech (6-7, 5-7) outlasted the Orange attack in five sets, winning 15-11 and sending SU home without any victories.

After winning the first set, the Orange looked sloppy in the second, hitting at just 11.8% to the Hokies’ 28.6%. While Syracuse kept things close for the majority of the set, they gave Virginia Tech too many free points and committed four service errors throughout the set. Nevertheless, the Orange were battling down the stretch until four straight kills from the Hokies’ attack secured Virginia Tech’s set win at 25-20.

The Hokies’ dominance continued in the third set, as Virginia Tech jumped out to a 6-0 lead sparked by two service aces from setter Brie Postema. While Syracuse was able to string together several multi-point runs, the deficit they created behind six attack and three service errors proved to be too much, and Virginia Tech took the set 25-19.

The Hokies took an 18-14 lead in the fourth set behind a 6-1 run driven by multiple Syracuse attack errors. But, the Orange chipped away at the Virginia Tech lead, shrinking the gap to three points as the Hokies reached match point. Instead of backing down, Syracuse erupted on a 6-0 run to win the set 26-24, headlined by two kills from outside hitter Yulia Yastrub and a service ace by Lokhmanchuk.

While the Orange had firmly taken back the momentum, their comeback was quickly foiled by the Hokies in the final set. Virginia Tech jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the set as Syracuse committed three attack errors in a row. Despite a run that tied the set at five, the Orange were unable to overcome their errors, committing two more during a 5-1 run that gave the Hokies the set and match.

Lokhmanchuk led Syracuse in kills (14) and points (17.5), and Yastrub and Saada delivered 10 kills each as well. But Syracuse was bullied on the killing front, having just 55 kills to Virginia Tech’s 67. The disparity in kills and errors was key in the Orange’s woes, as they committed 27 total errors to the Hokies’ 17.

After two losses in Blacksburg, Virginia, the Orange travel back to Syracuse and play their final home games of the season against Wake Forest and Duke next weekend.

Published on March 21, 2021 at 5:40 pm

Contact Sam: swarre03@syr.edu