Spring Break
The Daily OrangeVB | Strong defense helps Syracuse sweep Albany
By Jesse Caputo
Posted: 9/4/07, 12:49 AM EST Section: Sports
|
That edgy mood continued for the remainder of the afternoon as Syracuse looked to beat its instate rival for the first time in three years. Syracuse accomplished just that with a 3-0 (30-25, 30-23, 28-21) sweep over Albany Monday at Manley Field House in front of 107 fans.
"Historically, Albany has been good, and (they're) getting better," assistant coach Carol LaMarche said. "They beat us the last two years [sic] so we knew it was going to be a fight, and it was going to be a matter of who had a good day and who could get the momentum on their side."
SU certainly did not start off having a good day, struggling on the offensive side of the ball. They committed errors at the net and were unable to finish plays. The offense finished with a lowly .189 kill percentage in the first game. It was the Orange defense that was a constant throughout the match and helped to keep the game close until the offense started firing away.
"It's just starting off and playing," said senior team captain, Joscie Kaup. "Once you start talking, and the communication picks up, you start reading their defense. You figure out where their holes are. Sometimes it takes until point 15."
Until that point, though, Kaup and company made some impressive plays on defense to give Syracuse opportunities. After coming in off the bench in game one, junior Marissa Kanemura provided the Orange with three diving plays on defense. Later on in the game, senior Cheryl Cobbina added her own diving plays on defense to help SU secure a lead.
As the games progressed, the balls started to fall for the Orange, and the plays came together more.
"What goes around comes around," Kaup said. "So you keep digging until we finally get the point. It's the best feeling in the world when you get a great dig, and someone on our team puts the ball away."
A perfect example of just that came during the third game. After a ball was spiked by Albany, Kaup lunged with one arm to save the ball, setting it up in the air perfectly. As it hung in the air, Kacie MacTavish rose up to meet the ball halfway and placed it past diving defensemen to win the point for SU.
Be the first to comment on this story