SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Playing in its final road match of the regular season, the Virginia Tech volleyball team fell to Syracuse 3-0 on Sunday afternoon inside the Women's Building.
The Hokies (14-15, 5-12 ACC) played their most freshmen in a match this season, with five rookies getting in on the action. Of the five, freshman Angel Robinson turned in her best match as a Hokie, racking up a career-high eight kills on a career-best .615 hitting percentage. The Orange (17-7, 13-3 ACC) were paced by Polina Shemanova's 11 kills, six digs and four blocks.
Right-side hitter Jaila Tolbert earned her first ace of the season to give Tech a 5-4 lead to begin the match and the Hokies would push their advantage to two points at 13-11. However, Syracuse rattled off five straight points to take a 16-13 lead it would not relinquish, winning 25-19.
The Orange jumped out to a 6-0 advantage in the second frame, forcing a Tech timeout. Out of the break, Tech battled back after kills from sophomores Kaity Smith and Ester Talamazzi and trimmed it to a five-point set at 10-5. But 'Cuse kept its momentum and would extend its lead to 19-9 before a combination block by Tolbert and freshman Peyton Yelich that sparked a 5-1 run by Tech. However, the Orange would finish with a 25-18 victory.
Knotted at 7-all to start the third stanza, the Orange scored seven of the next eight points to take a 14-8 lead, causing a Hokie timeout. 'Cuse kept it going though, tallying six of the next seven points before sophomore Marisa Cerchio registered back-to-back kills. However, the Orange stopped Tech's run and won 25-16.
NOTES
- Smith put together her sixth straight match of double-digit kills, putting down 10 while scooping up eight digs, just short of the double-double. The streak ties her longest of the season, which she set from Sept. 23 through Oct. 12.
- Robinson's career day also saw two blocks, her most since Oct. 21 against Duke. With the Oklahoma native hitting north of .600, it marked the first Tech player to hit over .600 since Sept. 11 versus VCU, when Tolbert (.625) accomplished the feat.
- Yelich, who earned the first start of her career, delivered a career-high four kills and two blocks. She topped her previous high of two kills set on Sept. 16 versus UTSA.
- Libero Carol Raffety led the team in digs, collecting 11 while distributing four assists. Raffety moved up to No. 6 all-time in school history for career digs, passing Lindsey Owens (2013-16). The California native owns 1,315 in her storied career.
- Freshman Talyn Jackson tallied 10 assists, marking her most since Sept. 1 against Robert Morris. The setter also three digs, one block and a kill.
QUOTING HEAD COACH JILL WILSON
On how the freshmen played during the match:
"I thought our freshmen did a really nice job today," Tech coach Jill Wilson said. "They really listened to the game plan and risked. I was really proud of the freshmen, especially this late in the season, as they absolutely went for it."
On middle blocker Angel Robinson having a career day:
"One of the coolest parts about Angel [Robinson] is that she plays with no fear," Wilson said. "And as she's learning to play the game of volleyball and works beyond just being a good athlete, she's going to keep getting better and better. And we're really excited about it."
On what will be the focus the last few practices before Clemson:
"We still have to work on just executing the little things, with us getting a little timid," Wilson said. "We need to focus on making sure that we are taking care of the easy stuff, but also being aggressive when we need to be."
WHAT IS NEXT
- The Hokies will head back to Blacksburg and take on Clemson (15-14, 6-10 ACC) on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum. Tech's final match of the regular season will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
