Syracuse overpowered by Clemson in 4 sets for 4th straight loss
After recent losses to Boston College, Florida State and Miami, Syracuse's struggles didn't get any better with a 3-1 loss to Clemson. Lindsay Baloun | Contributing Photographer
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Syracuse entered Friday’s match with Clemson on a serious skid. The Orange had lost three straight matches to Boston College, Florida State and then-No. 15 Miami, marred by poor shot selection and late-set collapses.
The Orange had a chance to get back in the win column against the Tigers, though. They’d previously won just two Atlantic Coast Conference games to SU’s five. Middle blocker Sydnie Waller said the Orange reset mentally after the defeats.
“We take every match day by day, not letting the past dictate our future and not letting our future dictate our present,” Waller said. “We lost last weekend but it wasn’t on the forefront of our minds going into today.”
However, Clemson’s (15-10, 3-10 ACC) front line, led by standout performances from Khaya Gordon and Nil Okur, proved too much to handle as the Tigers powered past the Orange (13-10, 5-8 ACC) in four sets Friday. Despite a hard-fought second set, SU couldn’t maintain its rhythm against the Tigers, which posted a .282 hitting percentage to Syracuse’s .173, extending its losing streak to four straight matches.
“In this opportunity to hopefully move up in the setting of this matchup, the outcome was unfortunately not what we wanted,” head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said. “We just couldn’t execute to the level that we needed in order to beat Clemson today.”
The night began with Syracuse’s worst enemy — its own errors. Clemson jumped out to a commanding 10-2 lead in the first set behind six Orange mistakes and two service aces from Clemson setter Katherine Sandt. Syracuse briefly steadied the ship with a 6-0 run and trailed 14-11, but the Tigers quickly regained control.
From there, Clemson found its rhythm. Kills from Okur and Kate Hansen, followed by a momentum-swinging block at the net, extended its lead to 21-13. The Tigers closed out the set on a dominant run, punctuated by kills from Okur and Mia Moore to secure a 25-15 victory.
Clemson recorded 14 kills on a .345 hitting percentage, while Syracuse struggled to find its rhythm, managing just five kills and finishing with a -.038 hitting percentage, SU’s worst first-set hitting percentage of the season.
The Orange regrouped in the second, as both sides sat tied 5-5 after back-to-back slamming kills from SU setter Tehya Maeva. Syracuse then grabbed a two-point lead and was up 7-5.
Clemson answered with quick strikes from Moore and Sandt, but Syracuse didn’t back down. Kills from outside hitters Skylar George and Gabriella McLaughlin kept the score tight at 11-10 before the Orange surged late. A block from Waller and follow-up kill powered them to a 20-17 advantage.
“(Ganesharatnam) really emphasizes serving aggressive throughout matches,” Waller said. “So trying to hone in on that and go out and be aggressive at the service line is important because that can really be an advantage in games like this.”
Clemson’s Okur and Gordon tied the set at 20, but McLaughlin stepped up once again, hammering home two kills to seal the 25-23 second-set win.
The set win gave Syracuse confidence amid its losing streak. However, momentum shifted back to Clemson early in the third. The Tigers raced to a 7-2 start with powerful kills from Gordon and Moore and a well-timed block from Okur.
Syracuse answered with strong defense and more balanced attacking, trimming Clemson’s lead to 14-10. McLaughlin’s 10th kill of the night and a block from Waller cut the deficit to one, as the Orange trailed 19-18.
Late-set kills from Soana Lea’ea and Zharia Harris-Waddy tied the score at 23, setting up a tense finish. But despite Syracuse’s defensive resilience, Clemson slipped through with a 26-24 win, reclaiming control of the match.
“It doesn’t matter if we play a ranked team. Our team has to play at the absolute limit every time if we have a realistic chance to beat these teams in the ACC,” Ganesharatnam said. “We have to figure out what we do: maybe practice sessions or incorporate specific video sessions to make adjustments and keep this consistency and effort level.”
Through three sets, Clemson had 47 kills to Syracuse’s 34 and led in digs 52-47, showing its steadiness in long rallies. Clemson kept the Orange’s hitting percentage below .200.
Determined to extend the match to five sets, Syracuse came out swinging in the fourth. The Orange raced to a 4-0 lead behind two kills from George and another from Maeva, forcing an early Clemson timeout. The surge didn’t last long, though.
Clemson regrouped with clinical precision. Back-to-back kills from Gordon — her 12th and 13th of the night — helped the Tigers gain a 12-7 lead. They never looked back, maintaining a hitting percentage above .470 while Syracuse hovered under .180.
George’s 11th kill brought the Orange within four at 16-12, but Clemson’s offense kept firing. Gordon tallied two more kills, and Sandt finished the job as the Tigers sealed the overall victory with a 25-16 set win.
The loss leaves the Orange searching for consistency as the season winds down. However, Ganesharatnam and Co. aren’t fazed. SU’s head coach mentioned postgame that his team had improved in every match before Friday. Lea’ea added there were numerous moments of growth versus Clemson that Syracuse can take into its next match against Georgia Tech on Sunday.
“We’re going to make sure we stay together and don’t panic, analyze what we need to analyze, and focus on the things we need to improve in order to get ready for the next match,” Ganesharatnam said.
