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Syracuse and Boston College have had eerily similar starts to Atlantic Coast Conference play. They’ve had the same four weekend slates with the same eight matchups, flipping Friday and Sunday opponents.

In the Orange’s first weekend of conference play this season, they were trounced in three sets at then-No.6 Louisville on Sept. 28. Two days earlier, the Cardinals swept the Eagles.

Two weeks later, the squads took on the ACC’s two Golden State teams. Neither program stood a chance against the juggernaut of then-No. 6 Stanford. However, SU and BC both stayed competitive during the sweep.

Against Cal, the Orange and Eagles were ready, comfortably dispatching the Golden Bears in four frames. Last weekend, Syracuse and Boston College found no issues against Duke, earning their first home sweeps in conference play.

Although both squads lost to No. 21 North Carolina, there was one difference. SU won a set while BC was left with a goose egg. Would Syracuse’s second-frame victory against the Tar Heels be the difference in Chestnut Hill on Wednesday?

The answer was ultimately yes, as Syracuse (13-6, 5-4 ACC) orchestrated a resilient comeback in a five-set triumph over Boston College (14-7, 3-6 ACC) Wednesday. The Eagles had a 22-19 advantage in the fourth set, needing three points to clinch a four-set victory, but SU’s late-game heroics prevailed.

BC came out firing, especially with its serve. En route to a 7-1 start, Audrey Ross notched two kills and two aces.

The Orange came back and were deadlocked in a back-and-forth battle, but the Eagles had already built a significant lead. SU got within a point at 19-18, after an intended set by Brooklyn Yelland sailed onto the maroon paint on Syracuse’s side.

BC head coach Jason Kennedy then gave Sofija Marjanovic her first appearance in two games, and she remained at the service line for four straight points, scoring an ace. The Eagles closed out the set with a comfortable 25-19 lead.

The second frame couldn’t have been more different. This time, SU jumped out to a substantial early advantage. Gabriella McLaughlin’s emergence helped power its surge after an underwhelming first frame, when she converted just one of her nine attacks. This time around, the senior delivered five kills on stronger efficiency.

SU hit its stride when it forced BC into errors. It embarked on a five-point stretch to catapult its lead to 18-10. In the waning moments of that stretch, Marie Laurio, who subbed in for Sydnie Waller at right-side hitter ahead of the frame, gave Lucy Mott a difficult spike to return. Soana Lea’ea put the icing on the cake for a 25-15 victory.

Syracuse had a chance to ride its momentum into the third frame. The Orange burst out to a 6-3 lead after McLaughlin and Lea’ea generated a combination block to stymie Sam Hoppes’ left-handed punch.

Soon, that advantage swelled to six. Laurio, who hasn’t played much right-side hitter this year, delivered a cross-court kill off a set from Tehya Maeva. McLaughlin then fired a pass home from her former Nevada teammate.

It appeared as if the Orange were destined to take the frame and close out the Eagles in four.

That wasn’t the case, though.

This time, it was Syracuse that committed the attack errors. Laurio and Skylar George both misplaced kill attempts out of bounds down the stretch, and all of a sudden, the third frame was a win-by-two juncture for either side.

After a couple back-and-forth points, the Eagles broke loose, and Sequoia Layne thwarted McLaughlin at the net twice for solo blocks. BC won the block battle 9-7 through three sets, but its path to victory wouldn’t be easy.

With the squads so evenly matched, it was clear the waning moments would decide the fourth frame. BC looked to have sealed things up after SU surrendered a five-point run and trailed 15-11. Soon after, an Anna Herrington spike made it 22-19.

Syracuse remained composed and let its star take over. In a neck-and-neck battle, as both teams approached 25, McLaughlin notched the next three Syracuse points.

But the Orange kept committing errors. A Laurio service violation. A George serve that hit the net on SU’s side. A Rana Yamada serve that caressed the net.

But finally, back-to-back kills from George, on an inefficient day with a 0% hitting percentage, forced a sudden-death fifth frame.

Thanks to Yamada, who notched a season-high 25 digs, SU kept its rallies alive for extensive stretches in the do-or-die set. But it trailed 10-7. Letting Maeva push the ball to the corners was all the Orange needed.

SU embarked on a five-point run, featuring kills from McLaughlin and Laurio. Then, George fooled Aubrey Moore, finessing the volleyball around her fingertips.

Up 14-12, McLaughlin’s and Maeva’s connection, which dates back to their childhood practices at WAVE Volleyball Club, linked up for the game-sealing finisher. It was McLaughlin’s 22nd kill and Maeva’s season-high 54th assist.

Their connection, along with steady performances from Yamada and Laurio, pushed the Orange above .500 in conference play Wednesday.

Published on October 22, 2025 at 10:47 pm
jaglick@syr.edu | @jason_glick