Syracuse tops Virginia Tech 3-1 for 2nd ACC win
After dropping the first set against Virginia Tech Friday, Syracuse won three straight to improve to 2-1 in ACC play. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer
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Tied at 25 and down a set in the match, Syracuse desperately needed an answer. Marie Laurio provided it.
The freshman skied and placed a shot inside the backline to give the Orange a 26-25 lead and her first kill of the game. Then, at set point, Laurio’s serve ricocheted off multiple Virginia Tech defenders and landed out of play to tie the match at one set apiece.
Her points gave SU a lifeline when a two-set hole looked like too much to overcome.
Syracuse head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said that the Atlantic Coast Conference is the best in the country, and no teams in it can be overlooked.
“Every team is very tough, even teams that are in the lower half of the conference,” Ganesharatnam said.
In the ACC, there are no free victories. But Friday’s match against a Hokies squad that was projected last in the ACC Coaches Preseason Poll was a must-win for Ganesharatnam’s squad. After dropping the first set, Syracuse (10-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) won three straight sets to top Virginia Tech (8-6, 0-3 ACC). Gabby McLaughlin, who ranked seventh in the ACC in kills per set (3.77) entering the match, led the way with 19 kills.
“I’m optimistic based on last weekend’s performance and feel like we’re on a good track,” Ganesharatnam said earlier this week.
While Virginia Tech may have been an inferior opponent on paper, it was clear Syracuse needed to earn its victory.
After Syracuse’s Rana Yamada couldn’t handle Virginia Tech’s Sarah Malinowski’s powerful attempt from the left side, Virginia Tech only trailed 6-5 in the first set. From there, both teams traded points, with five lead changes and 15 ties.
The set remained closely contested until the Orange were first to blink, with the Hokies taking a 21-18 lead after Skylar George’s attempt hit the net and deflected out of play. In extra points, Sydnie Waller was rejected on back-to-back kill attempts to give Virginia Tech a hard-fought 30-28 first set win.
Syracuse, like in the first set, jumped out to an early advantage to start the second set. Again, however, it couldn’t build a lead. Reese Hazelton stuffed Zharia Harris-Waddy’s swing at the net to tie the set at 6-6.
Despite George’s defensive excellence against Notre Dame, the power of the VT outside hitters stumped her, and the sophomore failed to handle digs on multiple Hokies’ attempts early in the second set.
But leading 17-16, George made a crucial dig to set up a Waller spike from the center for a point. From there, VT continued to stay relentless, taking a 24-22 lead, and was on the brink of leading 2-0.
Ganesharatnam has repeatedly voiced his trust in Laurio, and her two-point burst tied the match, completely flipping the momentum in Syracuse’s favor.
The third set is where the Orange’s offense began to establish a rhythm and exploit the Hokies’ shaky defense. Coming into the match, VT allowed a conference-high .398 hitting percentage through two ACC games and ranked last in opponent kills per set (17.17) and in opponent assists per set (16.17). Fittingly, Syracuse’s .210 hitting percentage against the Hokies was its best mark through two conference games.
Syracuse trailed early in the third set, with Virginia Tech gaining an early 8-2 lead. Still trailing, a 5-0 SU burst cut into the deficit. A McLaughlin spike trimmed the lead to 21-19, and an ace from serving specialist Reese Teves made it 23-22 Virginia Tech. Three points later, Teves delivered another ace, deflecting off of Hazelton to put Syracuse one set away from victory.
Through two ACC games, George’s hitting percentage was .088, and the redshirt sophomore’s struggles continued for the majority of the night against Virginia Tech, until the fourth set. She found the gap in the defense and placed it between multiple VT defenders to give SU an early 3-0 lead.
SU remained in control, with Waller’s 12th kill, a season-high, extending the advantage to 14-9. With the Orange leading, it was content to trade points with the Hokies. Virginia Tech got within three at 20-17, but seven points later, Ainsley Ranstead’s attempt hit the net and deflected out of play to give Syracuse its second ACC win of the season.
“We feel like we’re really coming together as a team. We’re improving every weekend and every practice session,” Ganesharatnam said in weekly media availability.
