[su_spacer size=”20″] Syracuse’s offense and costly Bulldog errors pushed the Orange (5-0) past the Georgia volleyball team (4-3) in straight sets on Sunday in the Ramsey Center.[su_spacer size=”40″] “We knew Syracuse was going to be a tough team,” said head coach Lizzy Stemke. “We keep talking about the fact that every time we step onto the court, we need to find ways to get better. With Syracuse, Georgia Tech and these other matches that we have had, they are exposing things, but also improving things for us as we go along. This is great growth for this group. There are so many positive things going on right now, and we need to keep it into perspective that these are tough teams, and we are continuing to get better.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Syracuse hit .329 for the contest, outhitting Georgia 39 kills to the Bulldogs’ 26. Reception errors also hurt the Bulldogs, as Syracuse posted seven aces.
[su_spacer size=”40″] For Georgia, redshirt junior Megan Spencer led the team with nine kills while sophomore Maddie Lobenstein followed with seven, as both hit .250 or better for the match. Sophomore Kendall Kazor notched 23 assists to go with five digs and two blocks.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Caroline Ostman tied Kazor for the team high in digs with five for the freshman. Redshirt senior Jasmine Eatmon recorded three blocks, as three other Bulldogs had a pair of blocks each.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Early errors hurt Georgia in the first, falling 25-16 to the Orange. Syracuse’s offense was on point in the frame, hitting .500 with 16 kills. The visitors then went up 2-0 with a 25-21 win. Georgia led 9-7 before Syracuse rolled out six-straight points. A Desiree McCray block stopped the rally, helping the Bulldogs cut the lead to 17-15; however, Syracuse opened it back up en route to the victory.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia went up 3-1 early in the final frame with help from a Lobenstein and Majesti Bass block and Kazor ace. Syracuse quickly answered, as tied at 10 each the Orange rattled off six straight, including four aces. Georgia got within two at 19-17 after an Eatmon hit then 21-20 with a kill by Lobenstein. Syracuse would finish the set on a 4-1 run to win 25-21.
[su_spacer size=”40″] After two weekends at home, Georgia hits the road for its first away matches, heading to Wisconsin for the Badger Classic. The Bulldogs face the top-15 Badgers on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. ET before finishing with Georgetown on Friday, Sept. 11 at 3 p.m. ET.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The weekend will be a homecoming for Stemke and assistant coach Colleen Bayer, as both played for Wisconsin. Stemke will also be honored by her alma mater by being inducted into the Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night.