Volleyball Opens 2018 Season at UConn Invitational

Syracuse vs. New Hampshire
Game Details	Friday, Aug. 31 \| Stoors, Conn. \| Harry A. Gampel Pavilion \| 5 p.m.
Game Coverage	Live Coverage: Stats
Syracuse Links	Notes (PDF) \| News \| Roste r \| Schedule
New Hampshire Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

Syracuse vs. UConn
Game Details	Saturday, Sept. 1 \| Stoors, Conn. \| Harry A. Gampel Pavilion \| 2 p.m.
Game Coverage	Live Coverage: Stats
Syracuse Links	Notes (PDF) \| News \| Roste r \| Schedule
UConn Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

Syracuse Volleyball is set to open its 2018 campaign this weekend at the UConn Invitational in Storrs, Conn. The Orange will face off against New Hampshire Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. before taking on Connecticut Sept. 1 at 2 p.m.

The Returners:
Preseason All-ACC selection Santita Ebangwese headlines an experienced 2018 Syracuse roster that boasts 12 returners from a year ago as well as six seniors. Additionally, the Orange return six starters, 99 percent of its solo blocks and 79 percent of kills from a year ago.

Ebangwese led the ACC during the 2017 regular season in hitting percentage and was fourth in blocks per set before being selected as an AVCA East Region All-American. Among the returners are also senior Jalissa Trotter, who led the Orange a year ago in assists, and redshirt seniors Christina Oyawale and Amber Witherspoon.

In The Classroom:
Returning starters Ebangwese and sophomore Ella Saada have continued to prove their success on the court and in the classroom. Ebangwese and Saada earned All-ACC Academic honors last winter. Ebangwese, a bioengineering major, is also enrolled in the honors program and serves as the co-president of the Syracuse University SAAC. Saada is an undeclared major in The David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. The pair were also part of volleyball's 10 ACC Academic Honor Roll honorees last spring.

The Opponents:
New Hampshire opened its 2018 season with a win over Milwaukee before dropping a pair of games to Northwestern and South Dakota. The Wildcats Emily Tanski earned America East Defensive Specialist of the Week honors after recording a team-best 78 digs at the Panther Invitational.

This will be Syracuse's 46^th all-time matchup against the UConn Huskies. The two last met in 2016 where UConn took a 3-1 win, however, the Orange still own the series record at 29-16. The Huskies enter their second weekend of play at 3-1.

What's Next:
Following its opening weekend, the Syracuse Volleyball team will travel to Milwaukee, Wis. Sept. 7-9 for the Marquette Tournament. The Orange will face-off against two top-25 opponents in USC and BYU as well as host, Marquette.

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