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Last season, Syracuse sat at the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference in total blocks. After their match against Le Moyne, the Orange now sit in the top 30 in the NCAA in blocks and blocks per set.

Coming into the match, Syracuse ranked No. 6 in the ACC in blocks per set (2.72) and had at least nine blocks in five of its nine matches.

SU totaled 11 team blocks, compared to Le Moyne’s three, during the first match of the Syracuse Invitational.

“We wanted to be very active at the net and try to be dominant with a lot of the touches we can get and slow them down so we can reattack,” head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said postgame.

In the first matchup between the Dolphins and the Orange, defense led the way for Syracuse (10-0, 0-0 ACC) to defeat Le Moyne (1-6, 0-0 Northeast Conference) in straight sets. The Orange extended their streak of double-digit rejections to four after tallying eleven blocks in the winning effort.

In the first set alone, Syracuse totaled five blocks to the Dolphins’ one. Southern Idaho transfer Anastasiia Nikolnikova’s presence up top with four kills and four blocks allowed SU to weather the storm against Le Moyne and win the first set 25-18.

“We’ve all been working hard during practices,” Nikolnikova said. “We watched film and knew what Le Moyne looks like, so we were prepared.”

In the second set, SU’s drastic improvements on defense shined.

Opponents had their way with Syracuse in 2023, hitting on a 30% clip compared to the Orange’s 8.8%. Since Syracuse had little to no offensive power, opponents defeated SU 22 times in straight sets. This year, the Orange have only contested in three matchups that warranted a fourth set.

“We had a lot of injuries. We needed to adjust a lot,” Mira Ledermueller said.

The Dolphins scored a negative hitting percentage (-.037) in the second set, only scoring eight kills compared to Syracuse’s 10, at a 38.1% rate. The Orange have held all but one opponent to less than a 20% hitting percentage so far this season.

Syracuse has improved its skill and mindset at the net, according to Ganesharatnam. The Orange’s opponents have only managed to hit at a .093 hit percentage, with 122 fewer kills than SU.

Sydney Moore (35) and Nikolnikova (34) lead the Orange in blocks this season. Nikolnikova registered seven blocks, while Ava Palm and Klara Zarnovcika both scored two in the victory.

“We’re emphasizing block touches, not just straight blocks in order to slow down the opposing offense and take advantage of that,” Ganesharatnam said.

Syracuse’s “better athletes,” according to Ganesharatnam, controlled the second set, shutting down the Dolphins and winning the set 25-11.

In the third set, the Orange continued their defensive display, winning the set 25-18.

Seven players scored at least one block assist in the win. The Orange registered 42 digs in the match, marking the seventh time that SU reached over 40 digs in a match this season.

“We knew it was a dangerous match to come into because it’s easy to underestimate Le Moyne, but if you’re Division I, everybody can play,” Ganesharatnam said.

The Orange’s defensive adjustments this season have allowed SU to race out to a 10-0 start and create a rhythm that was absent last season.

“We have had games every weekend to grow together as a team before our ACC matches, and I’m super excited to start our conference games,” Nikolnikova said.

Published on September 19, 2024 at 10:40 pm

Contact Quinn: qdpostma@syr.edu