Volleyball Travels to Duke, Wake Forest

WEEKEND PREVIEW: DUKE & WAKE FOREST
Game Details	Friday, Nov. 1 - at Duke - 7 p.m. \| Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday, Nov. 2 - at - 1 p.m. \| Reynolds Gym
Web Stream	Duke \| Wake Forest
Live Stats	Duke \| Wake Forest
Game Coverage	Twitter: @Cuse \| @CuseVolleyball \| Facebook: Syracuse Volleyball
#SUVB Links	Match Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Live Stats \| Season Statistics \| Media Guide
Opponent Links	Duke: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| @Duke_VB Wake Forest: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Match Notes \| @WakeVolleyball

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – With four straight victories and five in the last six matches to get to 5-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Syracuse will look to extend its winning streak on the road with a tough test at nationally ranked No. 18 Duke on Friday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. The Orange will close out the weekend at Wake Forest on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m.

LAST WEEK:
Following back-to-back road wins, SU returned home and defeated Georgia Tech and Clemson for its first and second home victories in the ACC. The Orange swept Georgia Tech (25-18, 25-22, 25-19) on Friday for its first win in the Carrier Dome this season. Behind 10 blocks and 53 digs as a team, Syracuse held the Yellow Jackets to a .192 hitting percentage.

Against Clemson, Syracuse rallied to win the first set and took down the Tigers 3-1 (26-24, 25-21, 17-25, 25-21). In the win, three Orange women posted double-doubles. Sophomore Silvi Uattara (18 kills, 11 digs) and junior Nicolette Serratore (14 kills, 10 digs) each picked up their fifth double-doubles of the season. It was Uattara's fourth in the last five contests. Redshirt freshman Valeriya Shaipova recorded the first double-double of her career with 16 kills on a .351 hitting percentage and a team-best 14 digs.

HANDLEY EARNS ACC WEEKLY AWARD:
Setter Erica Handley became the first SU volleyball player to win a weekly award, earning Freshman of the Week honors on Oct. 28. Against Clemson, Handley finished one off career bests in assists (55), digs (8) and kills (4) in just a four-set match. The 55 assists are tied for sixth in school history for a four-setter and the most since April Quigley's 57 against Colgate on Oct. 23, 2007. She also matched a personal best with three aces. In the weekend opener against Georgia Tech, Handley handed out 32 assists and tied a career-high with four block assists.

ORANGE EXTENDS WIN STREAK:
Syracuse's four match win streak is the longest since the Orange rattled off four consecutive victories last year. It is also the longest unbeaten streak in conference play dating back to the 2009 season when SU won six straight BIG EAST Conference games.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION:
Duke: The 18th-ranked Duke volleyball team (18-3, 9-1 ACC) has won 14 of its last 15 matches and is coming off its third victory over a top-25 opponent this season, outlasting previously ranked No. 18 Florida State in five sets this past weekend. Duke, which is undefeated (10-0) at home this season, is led by two-time ACC Player of the Week Emily Sklar. A Preseason All-ACC selection, Sklar sits second in the conference with 3.99 kills per set, good for 42nd nationally. Sklar contributes to a Blue Devil squad that is fifth in the nation with 15.03 kills per set. For the Orange to win, they will have to attack past Ali McCurdy, the two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year. McCurdy, the only other Blue Devil on the Preseason All-ACC list, is second in the ACC and 67th in the nation with 4.61 digs per set. Her 2,268 career digs ranks second among active Division I players. Maggie Diechmeister also comes in at second in the ACC and 26th nationally with 11.17 assists per set, helping Duke to fourth in the country with 13.91 assists.

Wake Forest:
Wake Forest (14-8, 3-7 ACC) began the season 11-1, which is the best in program history. However, Wake has lost seven of its last 10 matches since entering ACC play. The Demon Deacons snapped a five-match skid with consecutive wins over Georgia Tech and a Miami team that had been receiving votes, before suffering a loss to nationally ranked Florida State. Megan Miller's 4.25 digs per set, which is seventh-best in the conference, has helped a Wake Forest team defensively that ranks second in the ACC with 15.80 digs per set. Wake Forest also sits fourth in the conference with 2.54 blocks per set thanks to a team-best 1.16 blocks per set form Kristin Grissom. Kylie Hargreaves helps on both ends of the court, ranking second with 3.01 kills and 2.95 digs per set.

BUILDING BLOCKS:
Lindsay McCabe's 101 total blocks and 87 block assists in 2013 has propelled her into the program's top-10 all-time list for both categories. She sits tied for seventh all-time with 392 career blocks and now ranks sixth with 333 career block assists. The 392 career blocks are also 24th among active Division I players in a career. For the season, the redshirt junior is averaging 1.28 blocks per set, which ranks 38th in the nation and third-best in the ACC. In conference-play, McCabe's 1.51 blocks per set is first among individuals and a career-best 12 blocks at Virginia is the second highest output of the season by an ACC player. The redshirt junior is also closing in on the top-10 for solo blocks. She currently has 59 and needs just three more to move into the all-time list.

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS:
Duke will be the sixth ranked foe the Orange has played this season. Syracuse opened the season with previously-ranked No. 19 and No. 2 Penn State and ended the non-conference schedule in West Lafayette with No. 21 Purdue. In conference play, SU has faced-off against then-ranked No. 17 Florida State and No. 11 North Carolina.

SERIES HISTORY:
Syracuse and Duke have only met twice on the court, playing a home-and-home series in 1991 and 1993. The Blue Devils earned a 3-1 victory in Durham then swept the Orange in Syracuse two years later.

The match between SU and Wake Forest marks the first ever meeting between both teams.

UP NEXT:
Syracuse will close out the Carrier Dome portion of its 2013 slate against Notre Dame on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.

Syracuse University Athletics

Related News

Next Event

Related Videos