Another weekend passes and two more losses are added to the record. That’s what Syracuse has been dealing with all season.

Head coach Leonid Yelin said it’s not a lack of talent, but rather mental ineptitude.

“Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. 150 percent,” Yelin said. “If it’s everyone saying, ‘I don’t want to make mistakes,’ no one wants to make mistakes. Everyone is afraid to make mistakes.”

Syracuse tends to stick with every team that it plays, but in crunch time it always seems to fall short. The Orange (5-9, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) dropped two four-set matches this weekend, falling to No. 17 Florida State (9-4, 2-0) on Saturday and Miami (Fla.) (9-3, 2-0) on Sunday.

Unforced errors often result from a lack of a strong state of mind, Yelin said. This trend was exemplified in Saturday’s match against No. 17 Florida State. In Syracuse’s first match in the Carrier Dome this season, it came out to a hot start, taking the first set 25-19.

The second set was an even contest until about halfway through. Syracuse pulled within three on a service error by the Seminoles, but that was the closest the Orange would get. Florida State scored six straight points, ending with a 25-16 beat down.

The final two sets saw more of the same for Syracuse, as it was outscored 50-26 over the last two sets.

“We came into the second wanting it even more and we burned ourselves out,” outside hitter Gosia Wlaszczuk said. “We couldn’t stay constant in the game. It was just about us, not them.”

The second match of the weekend saw more of the same.

In the first set against the Hurricanes, SU went up 16-15. Outside hitter Silvi Uattara sent a vicious spike straight into the chest of Miami outside hitter Misty Ma’a. The Hurricanes scored seven straight points, four of which were on unforced errors by Syracuse. The set ended with Miami scoring 10 of the final 12 points, which culminated in a 25-18 victory.

“These are just some things that happen that just build off each other,” setter Erica Handley said. “We have to minimize our errors and just keep pushing to not let them get on the rolls that they do.”

The second set showed what the team is capable of, Yelin said, as it won the set 25-22.

During the final two sets, though, Syracuse fell back into the rut it can’t seem to get out of.

The third set started with four straight points for the Hurricanes, two coming off of unforced errors by Syracuse. The Orange brought it to within two at 11-9, but that was as close as it would get.

SU ended up dropping the set 25-19. After pulling within two, Syracuse lost all semblance of order on the court, looking disorganized and committing unforced errors.

The final set of the weekend epitomized the Syracuse season.

In a back-and-forth match, Syracuse tied the set at 17 with a stout block attempt by middle blocker Lindsay McCabe. But Miami scored eight of the final nine points to win the set 25-18.

Yelin believes the team is a work in progress and needs to develop mental fortitude.

“It is impossible to gain or lose skills in that matter of two or three days,” Yelin said. “It is all about the mental preparation and how mentally you can handle yourself.”

Published on September 30, 2013 at 1:54 am

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