Cuse Wraps Up Home Stand With No. 11 UNC And NC State

WEEKEND PREVIEW: NORTH CAROLINA & NC STATE
Game Details	Friday, Oct. 5 - vs. North Carolina - 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6 - vs. NC State - 1 p.m.
Location	Women's Building
Television (vs. NC State)	Orange All Access \| Time Warner Cable Sports Channel \| ESPN3
Game Coverage	Twitter: @Cuse \| @CuseVolleyball \| Facebook: Syracuse Volleyball
#SUVB Links	Match Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Live Stats \| Season Statistics \| Media Guide
Opponent Links	North Carolina: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Quick Facts \| @UNCVolleyball NC State: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Quick Facts \| @PackVball

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Coming off their first weekend of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play, Syracuse will look to even its conference record against nationally ranked No. 11 North Carolina and North Carolina State on Friday and Sunday, October 4 and 6 at the Women's Building.

LAST WEEK:
The Orange completed their conference debut as a member of the ACC with a 0-2 record against formerly ranked No.17 Florida State and Miami. SU came out fired up and defeated Florida State in the first set but were unable to keep pace with the nationally ranked Seminoles for the rest of the match (25-19, 16-25, 13-25, 13-25).The first set victory not only marked the Orange's first set win this season over a ranked team, but also their first-ever in ACC play. On Sunday, Syracuse split the first two sets with Miami, but the Hurricanes came back to put the Orange away in four sets.

Junior outside hitter Nicolette Serratore posted her third double-double in four games with 11 kills and 11 digs against Miami. Serratore also led the team with 18 digs and smacked seven kills for the Orange versus FSU. After two conference games, Gosia Wlaszczuk ranks 10th in ACC-only games with a .375 hitting percentage, aided by a .467 hitting performance against the Seminoles.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION:
North Carolina: The Tar Heels are off to a program-best 13-0 start, which includes a win over then-ranked No. 16 Illinois. UNC is stationed near the top of the national statistics with 13.86 assists per set (5th), 14.67 kills per set (9th) and 2.85 blocks per set (13th). For two consecutive weeks, UNC has been represented in the ACC weekly awards. Victoria McPherson, who leads the conference and is 19th nationally at 1.39 blocks per set, was the ACC's Player of the Week for Sept. 23. Outside hitter Jovana Bjelica and setter Abigail Curry earned Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively on Sept. 30. Bjelica boasts a team-best 3.19 kills per set, while Curry is averaging 4.95 assists per set.

NC State: After starting off the season winning eight of nine matches, the Wolfpack have lost three of their past five. Paving the way for NC State are Tanna Aljoe (10.68 assists per set), Alston Kearns (4.80 digs per set) and Brie Merriwether (1.28 blocks per set), who all rank within the top-four in each category in the ACC and top-50 nationally.

BUILDING BLOCKS:
Lindsay McCabe's 54 total blocks and 48 block assists in 2013 has propelled her into the program's top-10 all-time list for both categories. She currently sits ninth all-time with 345 career blocks and 294 career block assists. McCabe only needs two more block assists to take sole possession of eighth all-time.

SERIES HISTORY:
Syracuse and UNC have only met four times, but all were between 1990 and 1995. The Orange earned a victory in the teams' first meeting but have loss the last three, each in straight sets.

SU and NC State have met five times, dating back to 1983. The Wolfpack swept the Orange in straight sets in the first meeting and remained victorious until their most recent match in 1998, which Syracuse took in three sets.

UP NEXT:
The Orange will make their first ACC road trip next weekend with matches at Virginia on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. and Virginia Tech on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m.

Syracuse University Athletics

Cuse Wraps Up Home Stand With No. 11 UNC And NC State

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