Volleyball Drops 3-2 Battle Against No. 10 USC

Saturday, September 8

Milwaukee, WI

3 pm

Syracuse University

2-2

USC

6-3

Syracuse

USC

9/8/2018 9:02:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Freshman Polina Shemanova's 20 kills led the Orange in a close 2-3 battle against No. 10 USC Saturday afternoon. Syracuse took the first two sets 25-22 and 27-25 before USC responded with 25-14, 25-13 and 15-13 set victories.

How It Happened
The Orange came out firing with a quick 5-1 score in the first set to grab a lead that they would maintain for a majority of the first set. USC's only first set lead came at 18-17 before Syracuse responded with a 6-2 run that would ultimately give them the victory. After hitting .438 in the first set, Syracuse continued to threaten the No. 10 Trojans who were held to only a .190 hitting percentage in the second set. Syracuse opened the second set with another early lead at 6-1. USC used a late rally to tie the match at 19 but three consecutive kills by Shemanova were enough to pull the Orange ahead for the set victory.

USC took advantage of seven Syracuse attack errors in the third set and six in the fourth to even the score, 2-2. The fifth set featured five ties as both teams matched each other point for point but USC edged the Orange for the 15-13 victory.

Of Note
Shemanova paired her 20 kills with 10 digs for her second double-double of the weekend while Santita Ebangwese added 11 kills on 21 attempts. The Orange out blocked their opponents for the third time this season totaling 14. Amber Witherspoon led Syracuse with six blocks.

Up Next
The Orange will face their third top-25 opponent in as many days as they take on host Marquette Sunday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m.