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During its final nonconference game against Bryant, Syracuse was tied 5-5 in the fifth set before giving up five straight points to the Bulldogs. SU committed seven errors in the final set, which ended up being a 15-11 defeat. In 2021, SU took part in four matches that went the distance. But the Orange lost three of them before beating Wofford 3-2 in the second match of the year.

“That was kind of the switch,” Alyssa Bert said. “We knew that no one else was going to fix it for us and we had to do it ourselves…that’s why we came in and started in conference play.”

But since the defeat to Bryant, Syracuse has gone 3-0 in five-set matches, defying a trend it started in 2021 when it went 1-3 in five-set matches with losses to Iowa State, Florida State and Pittsburgh. In 2022, Syracuse defeated Wake Forest, North Carolina and Boston College all in five sets. At the Charlotte Invitation in August, the Orange beat Wofford in five sets, too.

“You have to be determined that you can win, but at the same time not be too tight,” Syracuse head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said. “You have to find a way where you can still be kind of loose enough to execute.”

Bre Walp said Syracuse felt “in control” against Bryant, but it always found themselves behind in sets. SU realized it missed opportunities to take a significant lead, including dropping five set points in the third set and falling 27-25.

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Five-set matches drain Syracuse both physically and mentally. With a heavy roster change from a year ago, SU needed to figure out what to change and how it could bounce back. 

It’s taken time for Syracuse to gel and learn how to deal with adversity. Bert said there has been a lot of “trial and error,” but the extra reps in practice combined with the coaches’ ability to focus on individual player development sped the process up.

After the setback with Bryant, Syracuse responded with a five-set win against Boston College in its next game. After dropping the first set 25-13, SU won the next two sets, recording nine and 12 kills, respectively. But BC then forced a fifth, winning 25-15. In the fifth set, SU came back to score the final three points of the set to win 19-17.

The victory over BC sparked a four-game winning streak to start ACC play, including another five-set match against Wake Forest. Syracuse dropped the first two sets, before mounting a comeback and winning the final set 15-12.

 “It says a lot about the character of the team,” Ganesharatnam said. “The willingness to sacrifice and come through at the end, but also the determination to be successful.”

 Against North Carolina in October, Syracuse didn’t let UNC forcing a fifth set faze them.

 The Orange didn’t panic, having been in this position before, and knew what it took to come out with the victory. Syracuse jumped on the Tar Heels early in the fifth set, leading 10-3 and eliminating any momentum UNC gained from the previous set. SU closed out the set 15-7 and won the match for their fifth ACC victory of the season. SU shut down outside hitter Mabrey Shaffmaster, who had just two kills in the final set after 15 in the first four.

 “We always talk about how we like five-setters for some reason,” Walp said. “It gets us pumped and more excited. We always come out strong like we did against UNC.”

Published on October 31, 2022 at 11:33 pm

Contact Zak: [email protected] | @ZakWolf22