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With the score tied 22-22 in the first set against Boston College, SU looked to make an early statement. But, the next three possessions did not go its way. Out of a timeout, BC got a kill and a block to increase its lead to 24-22. To end the set, the Orange committed an unforced attack error.

Though Syracuse (2-24, 0-16 Atlantic Coast Conference) won a set in consecutive games for the first time this season, Boston College (17-13, 6-10 ACC) was too much to handle, defeating SU 3-1.

At the start of the match, Syracuse’s Veronica Sierzant scored the first two points. She ultimately finished with a career-high 16 kills despite being listed as a setter. SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said that he experimented with using Sierzant as an outside hitter during the week of practice.

“I think Veronica did a great job,” Ganesharatnam said. “We asked her to hit on the right side and she did a good job. This week, we worked on her hitting on the outside (in practice). The idea started on Monday and then Tuesday we started to work on it. From there it just got better and better in the week. So we felt really good coming into this match that she can do a very good job on the outside.”

After Sierzant’s second score, the Eagles responded by going on a 4-0 run. Lauren McCabe’s kill ended that run, but Boston College went on to score the next 5-of-7 points, increasing its lead to 10-5.

Syracuse, however, went on a 4-0 run in response, fueled by two attack errors and a service error by the Eagles. The teams then traded scores until SU went on a 3-0 run, taking a 14-13 lead.

After back and forth scoring span, BC went on a 3-0 run of its own, taking the lead back. The Eagles eventually took set one 25-22.

“The first set was really close at the end. The score doesn’t justify it,” Ganesharatnam said. “If we would have gotten one of the last three plays, we would have been in it and had a really good chance of winning that first set.”

In the second set, Syracuse took control from the first serve, scoring the first two points. SU later went on a large six-point run to make it 9-2 after a few unforced errors by the Eagles. BC then scored the next 4-of-5 points.

Syracuse responded by scoring the next four, but Boston College came right back with a 4-0 run. Holding a 14-10 lead, the Orange kept putting pressure on BC. An offensive burst led to a 25-17 set victory for SU.

“I thought we were really aggressive in that second set. I thought we were very good serving,” Ganesharatnam said. “We created at least a couple runs that gave us more than three points. I thought our serve received was very stable. Our coverage was very good in that set as well. We created a lot of second and third opportunities for us. Energy level was good, and communication was really strong. A lot of really good things happened in that second set.”

Yet, in the third and fourth sets, Syracuse simply fell flat on both sides of the ball. The squad struggled due to having only eight active players entering the contest.

In the third set, Boston College went on four runs of three points in a row scored or more, including an 8-0 run. Syracuse looked lost after a dominant second set. The Eagles cruised to a 25-12 set three win.

The fourth and final set was more of the same. BC had more depth and bodies to throw out at SU. The attrition continued to show for the Orange, and they couldn’t muster any major runs or stops, losing the final set 25-12. Despite faltering late, Ganesharatnam said that SU’s inability to win the opening set cost it in the end.

“If you go up, possibly 2-0 against BC at home, I believe it possibly could have been a different outcome,” Ganesharatnam said.

Published on November 17, 2023 at 11:44 pm