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Syracuse came back from a lackluster 2-0 start to force a fifth set against Wake Forest on Sep. 30. The Orange led 14-12 as Kalani Whillock served directly at outside hitter Viktoriia Lokhmanchuk. The senior bumped the ball toward Lauren Woodford, who stood in the middle of the court.

With Lokhmanchuk on her left, Polina Shemanova in the backcourt and Naomi Franco to her right, Woodford had plenty of options. The setter turned to face Lokhmanchuk, as if to tease her move, before arching her back and playing the ball behind her head to Franco. Franco had already begun her ascent, slamming the ball onto Wake Forest’s side to give Syracuse the win.

The play marked Woodford’s 28th assist, tying her season-high. After just 16 games into her senior season, Woodford has recorded seven 20-plus assist performances. Fellow setter Riley Hoffman has also impressed early on, having the highest assist total (29) for SU against the Demon Deacons.

Hoffman’s best play of the season came in Syracuse’s next game at Virginia Tech two days later, when it moved to 4-0 in conference play.

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Syracuse led 23-22 in the fourth set as VT’s Hanna Borer served toward libero Alyssa Bert, who controlled the ball before digging it to Hoffman. Hoffman squatted down, generating power from her legs, and played the ball out toward the left sideline for Shemanova. The outside hitter rose up and scored the kill to put Syracuse up by two. The Orange won the next point to secure the match.

Hoffman’s assist was her 23rd in the afternoon, the first time in her collegiate career where she finished back-to-back games with 20-plus assists. Although Syracuse lost against Notre Dame five days later, she recorded another 22.

“The level of trust is just there,” Shemanova said. “The fact that I can trust my setters, I can literally just look at Riley or Lauren and they’ll be like ‘gotchu.’”

The improvement shown by both Hoffman and Woodford has been a product of more playing time. After a huge roster turnover from 2021 to 2022 because of former head coach Leonid Yelin’s departure, the two setters have received far more opportunities on the court.

In 2021, Hoffman made just 13 appearances while Woodford missed the entire year because of a medical redshirt. Hoffman tallied nine total assists, a contribution she doubled solely during SU’s opening match this season against Campbell. Woodford’s efficiency has improved, too. Through 14 competitions in 2020, she managed 91 assists. This year, through 16 games, she’s produced 320 assists.

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At the start of 2022, first-year head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam named Woodford as the primary setter, a role that the senior has kept. And despite an 8-8 record, Ganesharatnam has stayed true to a strict rotation.

“(Lauren’s) very on top of things and communicative so all those aspects of her character transforms to what she does on the court too,” Ganesharatnam said. “She’s done a tremendous job in the new role that she has.”

Usually Woodford starts, and toward the midpoint of the first set, Ganesharatnam normally opts to bring on Hoffman while outside hitter Ariana Joubert substitutes out Naomi Franco. Joubert and Hoffman typically finish out the first set before Woodford and Franco return to start the second.

Throughout Syracuse’s nonconference matchups, Woodford notched 215 total assists and averaging 21.5 assists per match during that span.

Hoffman’s play skyrocketed once ACC play began. In the Orange’s opening conference match against Boston College, she notched a team-high 23 assists.

With BC on match point up 15-14 in the fourth, Hoffman’s defense helped keep the Orange’s chances alove. Hoffman played an inch-perfect pass to Lokhmanchuk, who tipped it over two Eagles’ blockers, tying it up at 15-15 before the Orange secured the win.

“The setting position is really really crucial and Laruen’s done a good job in leading our team in connection with Riley,” Ganesharatnam said. “They have a partnership in that position and both of them have done a tremendous job for us so far.”

Published on October 12, 2022 at 12:49 am

Contact Tyler: [email protected] | @theTylerSchiff