Syracuse extends ACC losing streak to 15 after 3-0 defeat to No. 2 Pitt
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Parking isn’t usually hard to come by before a volleyball game at the Women’s Building.
However, an hour before Sunday’s match between Syracuse and No. 2 Pittsburgh, the lots surrounding the building were abounding with tailgates of the most passionate volleyball fans. Most of them were dressed in Pitt royal blue and golden yellow.
Seats in the gym quickly disappeared as the blue-and-yellow palette outnumbered Syracuse orange. Pitt’s fans roared as the undefeated Panthers ran onto the court pregame.
For Syracuse, the message seemed clear: its Atlantic Coast Conference losing skid was about to continue. It would remain without a set win for the fifth straight match. The Panthers have national championship aspirations, and SU was just another step toward that.
The partisan crowd didn’t faze the Orange. Facing a Goliath on the opposite side of the court, SU played like it had nothing to lose.
While Syracuse (5-8, 0-4 ACC) eventually succumbed to Pitt (14-0, 4-0 ACC) in straight sets, the Orange’s scrappy play made the match closer than the result suggested. Kiernan Stamey went point-for-point with three-time ACC Player of the Year Olivia Babcock, Yuka Urano led all players in digs and SU’s blocking unit rose to the occasion with five denials — three against Babcock.
“We came out today, and we just wanted to compete, not just against Olivia Babcock,” SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said. “We wanted to compete against Pitt.”
The Panthers started hot, leading 9-5 after SU setter Charis Burge couldn’t corral a Babcock heater. Seven of those nine points came from kills.
Pitt rolled into the media timeout with a comfortable 15-9 lead. Unlike Syracuse’s opening run, its carelessness gave Pitt five of its next six points. The Panthers’ block made itself known, smothering Stamey and Emma Williams.
Syracuse middle blocker Abby Nicholson didn’t allow Pitt to hamper her, scoring her third kill of the set out of the timeout. Stamey and Bo Nijenhuis followed up with a crowd-jarring block on Babcock to make it 19-14 Pitt.
The two sides traded blows until Pitt led 22-16. Stamey brought SU back into the set with her fifth kill and a Blaire Bayless attack error. But it wasn’t enough, as Pitt notched three straight kills to end the set 25-20.
SU’s blocking gave it life in the second set. The ACC’s last-ranked unit denied Pitt twice in a row, giving Syracuse a 3-0 head start. One of those blocks came from Stamey and Nicholson against Babcock.
“Both teams came to play today. At the end of the day, she’s just No. 5 on the other side,” Ganesharatnam said. “Whatever she has done in the past doesn’t matter today. Whatever she will do in the future doesn’t matter today either.
The Orange’s exceptional form continued, jumping out to a 9-6 lead with Stamey, Burge, Williams and Keila Gabriel all contributing kills to SU’s push.
However, Syracuse’s wheels then fell off. The Panthers snapped out of their rut and delivered a 9-0 run. Four of those points were off SU errors, and the other five came courtesy of Pitt’s offense.
The Panthers matched SU with five errors, fueling a 7-3 Orange run. Following a kill from Stamey, SU trailed just 18-16.
The set only came within two once more thanks to a Williams kill to make it 19-17. After that, the Pitt offense took over. Ayanna Watson led the final charge with four of the set’s last six kills to win 25-20.
In the final set, the Panthers didn’t let Syracuse jump ahead. Following a brief back-and-forth, Pitt rushed out to a 15-10 lead.
Ganesharatnam adjusted the lineup to stop the bleeding, bringing in middle blocker Emma Faerber and hitter Bella Rodriguez. Faerber notched two kills and a block on Babcock.
Stamey also wasn’t letting up. She recorded six third-set kills in an attempt to lead the Orange back. The junior outside hitter posted 14 kills and a 30% hit rate, while Babcock recorded 18 kills and a 50% clip. SU’s final four points came from Stamey kills, keeping the Orange in the match until the end.
“When I wasn’t playing in a Power Four beforehand, (Babcock was) a player I’ve always looked up to,” Stamey said. “To compete with her to that extent is really big for me.”
When Pitt was on the brink of victory, leading 24-19, Ganesharatnam called a timeout. “Eye of the Tiger” played, seemingly trying to push SU one last time. Stamey tried her best to deliver with a kill, but Babcock gave Pitt a straight-sets win with her signature rocket.
“You always have a chance (of) competing and beating the other team. We can’t make the mistake of going forward and saying, ‘All right, OK, we can take a breather, and it’s going to get easier,’” Ganesharatnam said. “It’s not going to get easier. It’s going to get harder. So we gotta stay on task. We gotta stay focused and keep moving.”
