Orange Drop Five Set Thriller to Virginia

Sunday, October 5

Charlottesville, VA

1:00 PM

Syracuse University

10-4,2-2ACC

Virginia

8-6,1-3ACC

Syracuse

Virginia

10/5/2025 5:39:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

The Syracuse University volleyball team (10-4, 2-2 ACC) dropped a hard-fought five-set match to Virginia (8-6, 1-3 ACC) on Sunday afternoon at the University of Virginia's Aquatics and Fitness Center. The Orange fell 3-2 (25-16, 22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 17-15) despite a standout performance from Gabby McLaughlin, who recorded a season-high 23 kills.

McLaughlin's stellar outing also included 14 digs, marking her 10th double-double of the season. Tehya Maeva orchestrated the offense, eclipsing 50 assists in a single-match for the first time in her Syracuse career with 53 on Sunday. Meanwhile Skylar George added 18 kills and 16 digs. Reese Teves contributed two service aces and 11 digs in the losing effort.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Syracuse opened strong in the first set, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back. The Orange cruised to a 25-16 victory behind balanced offensive production and strong defensive play. However, Virginia answered in the second set, using a late surge to even the match with a 25-22 win.

The third set featured 13 ties, neither team able to establish control. Syracuse held a slim lead late at 22-20, but Virginia rallied to tie it. The Orange regained momentum, though, to take the set 25-23. McLaughlin was instrumental throughout the frame, connecting on multiple kills at crucial moments.

Virginia responded with another strong performance in the fourth set, evening the match at 2-2 with a 25-22 victory.

In the decisive fifth set, Virginia stormed out to a 7-1 advantage, forcing the Orange to take a timeout. Yet, the Orange responded with an 8-2 run to take an 11-9 lead. The run would come to an end, though, as the Cavaliers went on to win the set, 17-15.

NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS

Gabby McLaughlin recorded her 10th double-double of the season with a season-high 23 kills and 14 digs while hitting .316.
Skylar George posted 18 kills and 16 digs for her eighth double-double of the year.
Tehya Maeva dished out 53 assists, her highest total of the season.
Soana Lea'ea contributed seven kills while hitting .211.
Zharia Harris-Waddy added seven kills and five digs on a .353 hitting percentage.
Reese Teves recorded two service aces and 11 digs
Rana Yamada tallied 13 digs and eight assists
Syracuse posted 77 digs as a team compared to Virginia's 76
The Orange hit .230 as a team with 66 kills

UP NEXT
The Orange return home next weekend for a pair of ACC matches at the Women's Building. They'll start with California on Friday evening at 6:00 PM before getting set to host #4 Stanford on Sunday at 1:00 PM. Both matches are set to air on ACCNx.

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