Elena Karakasi’s 4 kills, 12 assists lift SU over Albany

When outside hitter Yuliia Yastrub fell down on both knees for a tough dig, the ball ricocheted off her straight at setter Elena Karakasi. Middle blocker Marina Markova was looking for a kill, a play she and Karakasi connected on 15 times throughout the match.

But as the Albany defense collapsed to prepare for another booming spike, Karakasi reacted to the defense and sharply turned to set the ball way over the net, landing in the back right corner of the court.

Karakasi’s three other kills unfolded in the same fashion during Syracuse’s (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) straight-set win over Albany (1-2, 0-0 America East Conference). She usually doesn’t jump up and deliver powerful spikes, as she mainly sets up other players for them — tonight, she racked up 12 assists. But she does have a knack for finding a soft spot in the defense. It’s not just about getting kills, she said.

“To be honest, I don’t know where the ball is going to go. I have to watch the ball,” Karakasi said. “I trust my passers, that’s for sure, and I’m ready whenever the pass is good. But I’m also ready to run to set up the net.”

Karakasi recorded 27 of the team’s 30 assists against Albany. She said she enjoys setting up kills for her teammates, and her teammates certainly appreciate it. Markova led the team in kills on Saturday with 15, all of which Karakasi assisted. This chemistry comes from the previous seasons the duo has spent together, she said.

“I played with her as middle (blocker), and I think through that we created a really great connection of the sets,” said Markova, who changed position from outside hitter to middle blocker in October 2019. “We’re going fast through that transition and finding the set and great spot, speed and height.”

As a setter, Karakasi touches the ball more than anyone on the court. Head coach Leonid Yelin described his setter’s effect on the team and the game as similar to the most crucial football position — quarterback.

“You know what a quarterback is to a team?” Yelin said. “That’s her. She can make people play better. She can make them worse.”

Karakasi realizes the pressure of having the amount of touches in every point, she said. But she tries to stay focused as she knows her play affects her teammates the most on the court.

“I obviously have pressure, and I try to not let it affect me because I’m the person who touches the ball every time and a lot of things depend on me,” Karakasi said. “I know my responsibility, but I try to do my job the best I can because every single detail when I play matters.”

While she’s focusing on orchestrating her team’s offensive attack, Karakasi still has to stay vigilant on defense. The senior had all of the team’s digs after the first set and finished second on the team by the end of the night with nine.

The team started the season off 3-0, beating every away team that traveled to SU for the tournament. But Yelin said harder competition is on the way, and the Orange must improve if they want to keep winning.

“We have to really try to make less unforced errors, because with this many unforced errors we won, but it’s not going to go that way with the better teams,” Yelin said.“This is something we have to really develop. You cannot just say, ‘This is a big game, and I’m not going to make mistakes.'”