Syracuse Engineers Reverse Sweep Against Notre Dame

Sunday, November 10

Syracuse, NY

1 p.m.

Syracuse University

14-12,2-12ACC

Notre Dame

9-14,2-12ACC

Notre Dame

Syracuse

Syracuse Engineers Reverse Sweep Against Notre Dame

11/10/2024 7:17:00 PM | Volleyball

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After dropping the first two sets Sunday, the Syracuse University volleyball team (14-12, 2-12 ACC) stormed back to complete a reverse sweep against Notre Dame (9-14, 2-12 ACC) at the Women's Building.

Led by career days from Zharia Harris-Waddy (17 kills, 11 blocks) in the middle and Veronica Sierzant at setter (56 assists), the Orange flipped the script against the Fighting Irish for their first 0-2 comeback since Sept. 30, 2022.

"I really have to give the team a lot of credit because we stuck with it," head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said. "They did a great job staying committed to the game plan and being disciplined."

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How It Happened
Syracuse won the first two points of the match behind kills from Ava Palm and Zharia Harris-Waddy, who then combined for a block to make it 3-0. Notre Dame came back to take its first lead at 6-5 and went on to build a 19-12 advantage later in the set. The Fighting Irish established their largest lead of the frame at 22-13. From there, the Orange went on a 7-2 run highlighted by two kills apiece from Palm and Skylar George, but Notre Dame capped off a 25-20 victory with a block.

Notre Dame went ahead 6-3 early in the second set, but four kills from George and Harris-Waddy brought the Orange back to within one at 9-8. However, the Irish went back ahead by three quickly after and maintained at least a two-point advantage until a Sydney Moore kill late in the set cut the lead to one at 21-20. Notre Dame responded with a 4-1 run to close out a 25-21 win.

The Fighting Irish carried their momentum into the third set, winning the first four points. Syracuse immediately answered with four in a row, a run that included three blocks and a Greta Schlichter ace. Notre Dame won the next two points before Veronica Sierzant and Harris-Waddy put down kills to knot the score at 6-6. The Irish went up three at 10-7, but the Orange again had the answer, winning four straight points by way of a Harris-Waddy kill, a block and kill from Moore and a Sara Wasiakowska kill. The teams traded the lead over the next several points until 'Cuse built a three-point lead at 19-16 with three straight points from Palm via two kills and a solo block. The Irish won three of the next four points to get within one, but the Orange offense came to life to close out the set. Harris-Waddy put down back-to-back kills and then Wasiakowska delivered a kill of her own to grow the 'Cuse lead to 23-19. After Notre Dame won a pair of points, Harris-Waddy converted on her sixth kill of the set to get Syracuse within a point of the win, and Wasiakowska secured a 25-22 victory two points later with a kill.

Much like the third set, Notre Dame took the first three points of the fourth before Syracuse roared back with three straight of its own thanks to a pair of blocks and a Harris-Waddy kill. With the score tied 4-4, a 3-0 run capped by a Palm ace gave 'Cuse a 7-4 advantage. Another Harris-Waddy kill stretched the lead to 10-5 and Syracuse matched that five-point margin at 13-8 following a kill from Palm. Notre Dame came back to level the score at 16-16 but Syracuse immediately responded with a 3-0 run that included a kill each from Harris-Waddy and Wasiakowska. A Notre Dame kill got the Irish back within one at 22-21, but Palm terminated the next two points with kills to bring 'Cuse to set point. Notre Dame saved one but could not save another, as Harris-Waddy's sixth kill of the set finished off another 25-22 win.

Harris-Waddy and Wasiakowska combined on a block for Syracuse's first point of the final set and a Harris-Waddy ace put the Orange up 2-1. Notre Dame recaptured the lead at 4-3 before George tied the score at 4-4 with a kill. After the Irish went up by two, a 3-0 run that included a Harris-Waddy kill and Palm block gave Syracuse an 8-7 lead at the change of ends. Notre Dame won the next point to even the score but another 3-0 Orange scoring spurt that included a block by Harris-Waddy and Palm, a George kill and a Palm ace put 'Cuse up 11-8. A block from Wasiakowska and Moore brought Syracuse to 13 points and a George kill moved the Orange to within a point of victory. Notre Dame saved a match point with a kill but on the ensuing point, Sierzant attacked on two and put down the clinching kill to seal a 15-12 win and complete the comeback.

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Notes & Highlights

Zharia Harris-Waddy became the first Syracuse player to record a double-double with kills and blocks since Abby Casiano did so against North Carolina on March 5, 2021. Her 17 kills and 11 blocks were both career bests and the 11 blocks were the most by a Syracuse player in a match since Izzy Plummer also had 11 against Hartford on Sept. 4, 2021.
Harris-Waddy's 11 blocks were the fourth most in a match by a player in the ACC this season. Seven of her 11 rejections came in the final three sets.
Led by Harris-Waddy's dominant day at the net, Syracuse put down a season-best 19 blocks as a team, the most by an ACC team in a match this season. This was Syracuse's best blocking effort since Nov. 11, 2019, against Boston College, when the Orange had 21 rejections.
Syracuse won five points via blocks in the final set. In the team's three winning sets, the Orange compiled 13 rejections.
Trailing Harris-Waddy in blocks were Sara Wasiakowska and Ava Palm, who both tallied six. The six rejections matched Palm's career high and were her most this season.
Two more Syracuse players finished with multiple blocks, as Sydney Moore had five and Veronica Sierzant delivered four.
Sierzant racked up a career-best 56 assists in her first ever match with 50+ helpers. The sophomore had 15 assists in Syracuse's crucial third-set victory. She also had nine digs and a pair of kills in the match, the second of which came on match point.
Sierzant's 56 assists were the most in a single match by a Syracuse setter since Elena Karakasi had 58 against Florida State on Oct. 31, 2021.
Skylar George posted her fifth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 14 assists. The 15 kills were the redshirt freshman's most in a match since she had 19 at Siena on Sept. 12. She was productive early, as five of the kills came in the opening set.
George has finished with nine or more digs in each of her last six appearances. She has now reached double-digit digs on nine occasions this season.
Palm was Syracuse's third player to hit the double-digit kill threshold Sunday, as the graduate student tallied 14 on a team-high 52 attempts. It was Palm's eighth time reaching double figures in kills during ACC play. She also came within one dig of a double-double and added a pair of aces.
In addition to her strong blocking, Wasiakowska's hitting provided a spark for the Orange. The graduate student put down nine kills, five of which came in the second set.
Ashlee Gnau tied George for the team lead in digs with a career-best 14. Greta Schlichter also had 10 digs.
As a team, Syracuse hit .248, its best in an ACC contest since Nov. 13, 2022, against Boston College (.306).
The Orange tallied 60 assists as a team, their most in any match since Oct. 16, 2022, when they also had 60 against North Carolina.
Syracuse's 61 kills also set a new a season high, eclipsing the previous mark of 60, which came on Oct. 12 against California.
This was Syracuse's third victory this season to come in a fifth set. The Orange are now 3-2 in decisive sets this season, with two of the wins coming in ACC play.
The last time Syracuse came from two sets down to win a match was Sept. 30, 2022, against Wake Forest. This was the first time this season the Orange have extended a match to a final set after losing the first two.
The victory was the 200th of head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam's career.

Up Next
Syracuse returns to the road next weekend for matches against No. 16 Georgia Tech (Nov. 15) and Clemson (Nov. 17). The match against the Tigers will air on ACC Network.

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