Syracuse Mounts Third-Set Push In Loss To Miami

Friday, October 18

Syracuse, NY

6 p.m.

Syracuse University

12-7,0-7ACC

Miami

12-6,3-4ACC

Miami (FL)

Syracuse

10/18/2024 10:05:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse University volleyball team (12-7, 0-7 ACC) rallied in the third set against Miami (12-6, 3-4 ACC) after dropping the first two sets Friday night at the Women's Building, but the Orange ultimately fell short in a three-set loss to the Hurricanes.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Miami won five of the first six points to start the match, but a Sara Wasiakowska kill brought Syracuse back within two at 7-5. From there, the Hurricanes went on a 7-0 run and were up by as many as 11 points. 'Cuse built momentum late in the set with a 4-1 run fueled by a pair of Wasiakowska kills and one each from Zharia Harris-Waddy and Ava Palm, but Miami closed the set with a block to win 25-15.

The Hurricanes took an early lead again in the second and never looked back in a 25-13 victory.

Syracuse fought back in a big way in the third set. After Miami won the first two points, 'Cuse answered with a 5-0 run that began with a Sydnie Waller kill, included a kill and block by Harris-Waddy and was capped with a kill from George. With Syracuse leading 8-5, a hard-hit Hurricane swing bounced off Harris-Waddy and landed in bounds on Miami's side of the court for an improbable kill. Two more George kills helped Syracuse grow its advantage to 14-6. However, Miami began to work its way back into the set, as the Hurricanes retook the lead late and were up two at 21-19. A 3-0 Orange run punctuated with an Ashlee Gnau ace put Syracuse back in front by one, but Miami won the final four points to win the set and secure the match victory.

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NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS

Zharia Harris-Waddy tallied a season-best six kills, as she shared the team lead with Sara Wasiakowska. Harris-Waddy also had a pair of digs and a block.
For the fifth time this season, Skylar George reached double-digit digs, as the redshirt freshman posted 11 against the Hurricanes to go along with five kills.
Nikki Shimao led the Orange with a season-high 12 digs, surpassing her previous high of 11 which came last weekend in five sets at California.
Veronica Sierzant paced the Orange with 20 assists. This was her third time reaching 20 assists in ACC play. The sophomore also had five digs and two kills.
Anastasiia Nikolnikova led 'Cuse with three blocks. Wasiakowska and George each had two.
Ashlee Gnau made the first start of her Syracuse career, finishing with three digs and an ace.
Syracuse held the Hurricanes to a hitting percentage of just .176, far below their season average of .246.

UP NEXT
The Orange are back at the Women's Building on Sunday for a clash against No. 19 Florida State. The contest will start at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACCNX.

For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.