Syracuse downs Georgia Tech in straight sets, 3-0
On Sunday, Syracuse (16-7, 12-3 Atlantic Coast) continued its quest for its first-ever NCAA tournament berth by defeating Georgia Tech (16-12, 5-10) in straight sets, 3-0, on the road in Atlanta.
Despite the quick ending, the first set was a seesaw affair. The set saw 19 ties and eight lead changes, with no team leading by more than three. The set was extended all the way to 28-27, Syracuse, before Kendra Lukacs’ serve prompted a return error by Georgia Tech’s Matti McKissock to end the set 29-27.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 7-3 lead to start the second, but the Orange fired back with an 11-2 run, making it 14-9. Syracuse went up by as much as nine before a late push by Georgia Tech. It looked like Syracuse had won the set 25-20 when a Georgia Tech hit sailed out of bounds, but the call was challenged and overturned, with the referees ruling it had touched a Syracuse player first.
The temporary change in momentum did not affect the Orange, however, as a kill by Santita Ebangwese on the next play ended the set at 25-21.
In the third set, Syracuse never trailed despite Georgia Tech, tying it once at 14-14. An 11-4 run closed out the match for the Orange, winning the set 25-18.
It was an efficient afternoon for SU, which finished with a hitting percentage of .333 while holding Georgia Tech to only .159. The Yellow Jackets committed 22 attack errors to Syracuse’s 13 and also committed two more service errors than the Orange.
Once again it was freshman star Polina Shemanova leading the way for Syracuse with 16 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Amber Witherspoon chipped in 12 kills of her own, hitting .556 and also contributing five blocks. Jalissa Trotter and Dana Valelly both had good days setting, finishing with 25 and 18 assists, respectively.
The win helps Syracuse keep its tournament aspirations alive, as any loss now could leave Syracuse (currently ranked No. 33 in RPI) teetering on the wrong side of the bubble. SU will try to maintain its tournament resume when it next takes the court on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Virginia Tech in the Women’s Building.
