Return troubles cause SU to drop UCF Challenge opener
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Tied at 21-21 in the third set, the Orange had their backs against the wall after losing the first two sets against the Wildcats. Loren Hinkle served for Kansas State, but the set ended with a crucial kill by Viktoriia Lokhmanchuk off an assist from Lauren Woodford.
The Wildcats then tied it up again at 22-22, but Syracuse promptly put the set away with three straight points that included kills by Bre Walp and Polina Shemanova, who ended the set off an assist from Alyssa Bert.
Syracuse stayed alive for another set, but the Wildcats ultimately proved to be too much to handle. Kansas State won the next set to come away with the 3-1 win to open up the UCF Challenge in Orlando, Florida.
The match was very close in the majority of categories, but the difference was that the Orange were outplayed on the serve. While the Wildcats produced 11 aces over the course of the match, Syracuse could muster only three. The Orange put up more assists and kills, in addition to just as many blocks and digs, but the aces differential was too significant to overcome.
Thursday marked the first time all season that Syracuse’s opponent produced more aces than it. The Orange combined for 16 aces in three matches during the Charlotte Invitational while giving up a total of 13. SU’s 147 total attempts were also its second lowest this season, making for a lack of opportunities. The Orange earned 162 total attempts in their win over Wofford.
Lokhmanchuk and Shemanova led the Orange with 22 and 17 kills, respectively, while nobody else on the team reached double-digits. The pair also combined for 44 out of SU’s 69 total points.
The Wildcats, who moved to 4-0 on the season with the win, were carried by Aliyah Carter and Elena Baka, who combined for 45.5 points and 37 kills. Loren Hinkle also put on a setting clinic, totaling 44 of the team’s 48 assists. That marked the senior’s career-high, surpassing the 37 assists she produced against NC State earlier this season.
The Orange produced more assists as a team than the Wildcats, led by 22 from Riley Hoffman and 18 from Woodford. Bert also pitched in seven assists of her own, while nobody on Kansas State other than Hinkle produced more than two assists.
Hoffman also led the Orange in digs with 14, trailed by Bert (12) and Shemanova (11). Mackenzie Morris’ 17 digs was the game-high and more than doubled everyone else on Kansas State. Meanwhile, Walp’s five blocks continued her streak of leading SU in the category as she has for every game so far this season.
The loss drops Syracuse to 2-2 on the season and it will play two more games in the UCF Challenge. The Orange will play UCF on Friday and North Florida on Saturday before returning home to host the Syracuse Tournament on Sept. 8.
