Syracuse volleyball sweeps Canisius, improves to 4-3
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Bakeer Ganesharatnam was visibly frustrated. The typically calm Syracuse head coach sat addressing the media following his team’s 3-1 loss to Arkansas in its home opener last week, and he didn’t mince words when speaking on his team’s poor offensive showing.
“The execution needed to be stronger (on offense). We allowed them to distance themselves by making some unforced errors,” he said. “That’s an area we need to work on and be smarter in our execution.”
His frustrations weren’t unfounded. Syracuse totaled 39 unforced errors against the Razorbacks, and it’s a number that tells the story of inconsistent offensive effort. But the Orange had a chance to erase that memory Sunday against Canisius, an opponent they’d beaten in all 14 prior meetings.
Syracuse (4-3, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) gave Ganesharatnam plenty to be happy about, sweeping Canisius (0-8, 0-0 Metro) in straight sets Sunday, winning two by at least six. Outside hitters Kiernan Stamey and Emma Williams notched double-digit kills, while libero Yuka Urano posted double-digit digs for the third straight game.
In the first set, Canisius capitalized first on a pair of Orange attack errors. But Syracuse didn’t take long to settle in. A Urano service ace was sandwiched by Stamey and Keila Gabriel kills as SU took a 3-2 lead.
Another Urano ace kept the Orange ahead, but the Golden Griffins fought back. The teams swapped blows until Stamey helped Syracuse pull in front with a pair of kills.
The Orange scored four straight before the first break, capped by setter Charis Burge’s service ace. The squads traded three-point runs out of the break before Syracuse put the first set away for good, winning 25-15.
Ahead 19-14, Stamey sparked a 6-1 run to close the set. She contributed a pair of kills before middle blocker Abby Nicholson sealed the frame with back-to-back kills.
Despite the encouraging first set, Syracuse struggled to start the second, falling behind 9-4. A three-point run made it close, but Canisius stayed hot. Down 11-7, a Gabriel kill made it 11-8 as SU heated up.
Another Gabriel kill, a service ace and a Canisius error tied it before Williams slammed a kill into empty space, taking the lead. Williams was a big contributor Sunday with a 42.1% hitting rate.
Gabriel wasn’t done, giving the Orange a two-point advantage before Stamey tacked on one more. However, the three-point advantage was erased, courtesy of a four-point Canisius surge.
Another Stamey kill and a service ace brought the Orange up one, but not for long. The Golden Griffins caught fire once again, rifling off five straight points and taking a 20-16 lead. A Williams kill stopped the bleeding, but it seemed Syracuse was on the verge of dropping the set.
Williams begged to differ.
Her second straight kill gave Syracuse life as it capitalized on an attack error and a kill from outside hitter Bella Rodriguez, tying the set.
Middle blocker Bo Nijenhuis put the Orange on top before Rodriguez smoked another through the defense, taking a late two-point lead. Two attack errors helped Canisius knot the set at 22 before an error and a pair of Williams kills won Syracuse the set.
After the shaky second set, Syracuse returned to form in the third. Gabriel got the Orange off to a strong start before they capitalized on three straight Canisius errors, taking a 6-2 lead. The set went back and forth, but Syracuse maintained a comfortable lead throughout.
Three Williams kills helped SU to a 15-9 lead entering a break. After taking a 20-15 lead, Syracuse looked to complete the sweep and head home with a win.
Stamey’s and Burge’s kills put the Orange on the brink, before two errors gave SU a 24-15 lead.
Syracuse struggled closing the game, committing four straight attack errors before finally prevailing on a Canisius service error.
Aside from the final stretch of mishaps, it was a solid return to form for Syracuse, which doesn’t have much time left to capitalize on easier opponents before demanding conference play.
