Syracuse bounces back from home-opening loss with win over Hofstra
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Polina Shemanova’s serve flew over the net toward the Hofstra’s back line, forcing a diving save from Florencia Wolkowyski. Chiara Cucco then lofted the ball high into the air, setting up Clara Bal for an attempted kill.
Bal rose up and made clean contact with the ball. But she was met at the net by Naomi Franco and Raina Hughes. The Syracuse duo suffocated Bal’s attempt, clinching the point to put the Orange up by two sets.
Syracuse (4-5, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) came into its showdown with Hofstra (3-6, 0-0 Colonial Athletic Association) after losing its home opener against Army the day before. But the Orange put together an entirely different performance this morning, dominating against the Pride from the very beginning. The Orange won comfortably in four sets.
“I thought the team did a really good job with being aggressive and distinct with our serves,” head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said. “I’m really proud of the team, especially after such a quick turnaround.”
SU cruised through the first two sets without encountering any real difficulty in exploiting the Hofstra defense. Shemanova got off to a blistering start, posting three kills in the first set alone. She finished a game-high 12 kills. In addition to Shemanova’s impressive showing, four Syracuse players reached double-digit kills for the first time this season. Viktoriia Lokhmanchuk and Franco added ten each, and Bre Walp, known primarily for her defensive prowess, had 11.
“All the hitters, especially the ones in the middle and on the right-side, did a great job in transitioning to create opportunities to receive sets,” Ganesharatnam said.
Although the Orange looked poised to make their first home win a sweep, Hofstra pulled away late to win the third set. Early on, a few sluggish service and attack errors helped the Pride jump out to an 8-5 lead. Despite glimpses of recovery from their lackadaisical start, the Orange never led in the set.
Defensively, Ganesharatnam said Syracuse was able to “control the ball on their side a lot better than they did yesterday.” SU received a lot of help from Shemanova and Lokhmanchuk, who constantly laid out for digs. Shemanova finished with a game-high 15 digs while Lokmanchuk stayed close behind with 12.
Surprisingly, Hughes tallied the game-high in blocks for Syracuse, putting up two solo blocks against the Pride. The redshirt freshman, along with fellow right-side-hitter and roommate Franco, combined for almost half of the team’s blocks. Most notably, the pair’s defensive awareness was on full display during the final moments of Syracuse’s second set triumph.
With SU up 20-13, the Hofstra defense easily dealt with a Shemanova tip and quickly advanced the ball over the net. A dig from Nunes found Izadora Stedile, who attempted a hit that was almost immediately sent back by Hughes. The ball popped back into the air, momentarily allowing an ensuing attempt from Sarah Pierre. But Hughes met Pierre at the apex to put the Orange up by 8.
On the very next play, freshman Ariana Joubert stepped aside for Franco, who assumed a position to the right of Hughes. Syracuse rallied back and forth a couple of times with Hofstra before Beatriz Alves sent a cross-court set toward Stedile. This time around, both Franco and Hughes jumped, absorbing the power of the kill to send it back into Pride territory, out of the opposition’s reach.
“It helps that she (Hughes) jumps out of the gym, so I don’t have to do too much,” said Franco, laughing. “I just do whatever I’ve been doing, and she’s been following along just fine.”
The game stayed close throughout the fourth set. But consecutive kills from Lokhmanchuk and Franco helped the Orange pull further away before two unanswered kills from Walp put the match out of reach for the Pride.
