Polina Shemanova named to All-ACC 1st team for 2nd straight year

Polina Shemanova has been named to the All-ACC first team for the second year in a row. The sophomore has been dominant for the Orange (12-13, 9-9 Atlantic Coast) all season, finishing the year as the conference’s leader in kills, kills per set, points and points per set.

Shemanova was a unanimous selection by the conference’s 15 head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players. She was one of 14 players to receive the first team honor, and one of four to be unanimously chosen.

Shemanova represents Syracuse as the only Orange player to receive an ACC honor this season. The sophomore is also fifth in the NCAA in kills per set (5.09).

During the Orange’s five-game win streak, their longest of the season. Shemanova won ACC Player of the Week three consecutive times, averaging 25.8 kills per game over that span. She was the key to her team’s success, recording a Syracuse-record 36 kills in the five-set victory over Louisville.

Last year, Shemanova was also named the ACC Freshman of the Year after recording a freshman-record 447 kills. Her momentum continued this season with 485 kills – the second-most in Syracuse history.

The Orange finished eighth in the conference and failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament after earning the program’s first bid last year. This season, head coach Leonid Yelin turned to Shemanova to step up in the most crucial moments. Next season, he will once again expect his All-ACC player to lead the Orange.

“(You) cannot have five drivers in one car, you know what’s going to happen, and (our team is) not an exception for this,” Yelin said on Oct. 9. “Shemanova is one who can make a difference and has to step up to the challenge that we have.”