Volleyball Concludes Road Stretch with Two Matches in North Carolina

SYRACUSE AT NORTH CAROLINA
Game Details: Friday, October 25 -- 7 p.m.
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C. | Carmichael Arena
Game Links: Watch | Live Stats
Television: ACC Network Extra
Twitter: @CuseVB
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes (PDF)
North Carolina Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats

SYRACUSE AT NC STATE
Game Details: Sunday, October 27 -- 1 p.m.
Location: Raleigh, N.C. | Reynolds Coliseum
Game Links: Watch | Live Stats
Television: ACC Network Extra
Twitter: @CuseVB
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes (PDF)
NC State Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats

Chapel Hill, N.C. – A four-match road stretch comes to an end for Syracuse volleyball (5-10, 2-6 ACC) as the team heads to North Carolina for two contests this weekend. The Orange will travel to Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 pm and make the 30-minute drive to Raleigh for a 1 p.m. match on Sunday against NC State.

This weekend's action is available to stream on ACC Network Extra. Fans can only watch if their cable provider carries the ACC Network. Those unsure if their provider carries ACCN are strongly encouraged to visit GetACCN.com.

LAST TIME OUT
Syracuse traveled south last weekend to face Miami and Florida State, losing in consecutive conference matchups, 1-3 and 0-3. The Orange took the opening set against the Hurricanes, 25-18, before Miami captured the next three to win the match.

Syracuse saw similar results against Florida State, losing in three sets to the Seminoles. The Orange registered more kills, assists, and aces in the loss.

ALL-TIME VS. THE TAR HEELS
The Orange are 2-8 in program history against North Carolina. Syracuse hosted the Tar Heels in 2018, defeating them in three sets. The Orange were also victorious in the teams' first meeting in 1990, 3-1. Polina Shemanova led the squad with with 16 kills and 15 digs in Cuse's win last season.

SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS
UNC enters the match with an 8-10 record and a 5-3 mark in conference play. The Tar Heels have won five of their last six matches, most recently a win on the road against Virginia last weekend. With a 5-3 record at home this season, the Tar Heels haven't lost a home game since their September 20^th loss to VCU.

Redshirt freshman outside hitter Lauren Harrison ranks tenth in the ACC with 227.5 points and ninth in the ACC in kills with 203 so far on the year.

The Tar Heel defense is anchored by freshman Skyy Howard and senior Mia Fradenburg. Howard ranks fifth in the ACC in blocks with 77, while Fradenburg ranks fifth in digs with 262.

ALL-TIME VS. THE WOLFPACK
NC State leads the all-time series against the Orange, 9-3. The first matchup between the teams was in 1983 and Syracuse won the most recent meeting in 2018, 3-1, at home. Shemanova provided 16 kills and Yuliia Yastrub had three service aces, tying a career-high.

SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK
The Wolfpack enter Sunday's matchup with an 8-12 record, including a 3-5 record in the ACC and a 4-3 record at home. NC State returns home from their road trip last weekend which saw them beat Virginia and lose to #3 Pittsburgh. The Wolfpack will take on Boston College at home on Saturday before welcoming the Orange.

Offensively, NC State relies heavily on junior Melissa Evans, a preseason All-ACC selection who leads the conference in both kills (289) and points (321). The Wolfpack have five players with over 100 points and 100 kills.

Senior Lauryn Terry leads NC State in blocks with 74 which is just less than half the teams 168 total blocks. She is tied for eighth in the ACC in blocks.

TOP-RANKED ORANGE
Sophomore setter Elena Karakasi currently leads ACC setters with 24 kills and 0.77 kills per set in conference matches. Her teammate, Shemanova, leads the conference in kills per set (4.65) and points per set (5.34) through 15 matches.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Orange return home next weekend to take on Notre Dame at 7 pm on Friday, Nov. 1. in the Women's Building. It will be Syracuse's "Block Out the Cold" game and can be watched on ACC Network Extra. Admission and parking to all home matches are free.

For continued coverage of Syracuse Volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@CuseVB), Instagram (@cusevb) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Volleyball).

Volleyball Concludes Road Stretch with Two Matches in North Carolina

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Players Mentioned

Elena Karakasi

Polina Shemanova

Yuliia Yastrub

Syracuse University Athletics