BLACKSBURG, VA --The Virginia Tech volleyball team lost Sunday as the Syracuse Orange posted a 3-1 (15-25, 25-18, 19-25, 22-25) win at home at Cassell Coliseum.
The loss dropped Virginia Tech's record to 9-6 overall and 2-2 in ACC play. This is the Hokies first loss at home.
Cara Lewis finished with 11 kills on the day to lead the Hokies attack, while finishing with a hitting percentage of .364. Defensively, Tech had two players reach double figures in digs as Maddie Slagle had 13 and Cera Powell had 10. Hanna Borer added 21 assists, and Brie Postema had 11.
Game Notes
» Logan Mosley had a team-high two aces in the loss.
» Virginia Tech never trailed on the way to winning the second set 25-18.
» Cara Lewis had a team-high 11 kills for Virginia Tech.
» Virginia Tech got a team-high 13 digs from Maddie Slagle.
» Virginia Tech attackers were helped by a team-high 21 assists from Hanna Borer.
How It Happened
The Hokies fell behind early, dropping a tough first set 25-15. Virginia Tech trailed by as many as 10 points as Syracuse never gave up the lead to jump ahead 1-0. The Orange hit .303 in the first set with 14 kills, compared to the Hokies who hit .107 with nine kills and six errors. Syracuse's Lauren Woodford led both teams with six kills.
Virginia Tech evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-18 victory in the second set. The Hokies scored first and never trailed in the set to earn the victory. Virginia Tech opened up as much as a 12-point lead at 22-10 before finishing off the set. The Virginia Tech offense also got a boost from three aces in the set, and four kills from Lewis. Tech hit .250 in the second set, its best offensive performance in the match. The defense was also helped by five digs by Cera Powell.
Syracuse responded to win set number three, putting Virginia Tech in a two sets to one hole, dropping the set 25-19. Tech trailed by as many at 10 points but battled back to bring the set to 24-16, forcing three set points for the Orange. The Hokies had eight attack errors and hit .088 in the third.
Virginia Tech then fell in the fourth set 25-22 to finish off the match. The Hokies battled, going point-for-point with the Orange, who never opened up more than a four-point lead. Tech tied up the set 19-19, capitalizing on a ball handling error and an attack error, but the Orange bounced back with a kill and a service ace from Viktoriia Lokhmanchuk to take back the lead. Syracuse ended the fourth set with a .333 hitting percentage, its best of the match. Powell led the Hokies with three kills in the fourth set and setter Hanna Borer added two kills as well as seven assists.
The Hokies are back in action next weekend, hosting NC State and North Carolina.
Gallery: (10-2-2022) VB: Syracuse Match