In the final day of competition in the Syracuse Tournament at The Women's Building, Syracuse volleyball ran away with a 3-0 sweep over the Niagara Purple Eagles.
The morning victory was headlined by junior Amber Witherspoon and sophomore Santita Ebangwase's dominant 12-point showings. The Orange victory followed a 1-1 Saturday split as they defeated Siena, 3-0, Friday morning. They were defeated by Grand Canyon, 3-1, in the evening contest.
Strong Start
Syracuse took the first set from the Purple Eagles, 25-16. The Orange started off the first set strong as they tallied the game’s first five points as libero Belle Sand serviced.
The Orange cruised through the first set as Niagara committed 10 errors. The Orange worked mainly through Ella Saada and Mariia Levanova as they each totaled two of the team’s eight kills in the first set. Jaycie Roberts led the way for Niagara in the first set with three kills in 11 tries. The Orange did not trail at any point in the first set and they held leads of 10-5, 12-6 and 22-14.
Witherspoon Dominates Second
The Orange found a hot streak in the second set as they won, 25-20. Niagara settled down in the second set. They hung well with the Orange as they led through the first 10 points of the set. However, Syracuse hung in, point-for-point, and eventually jumped out in front following a 7-0 run that turned into a 10-1 run. Amber Witherspoon totaled eight kills in nine attempts in the second set, and the Orange took the set following a 17-10 scoring run. Witherspoon finished the afternoon with 12 total points and 11 total kills. The Orange run was no match for Niagara in the set as they went 25-64 (39.1%) on the attack in the set.
How Sweep It Is
Syracuse earned the sweep with a 25-22 victory in the third set. Syracuse started off with a 12-4 run but Niagara stormed back to bring the deficit to 15-14. The Orange outscored Niagara, 10-8, to end the game. They earned the sweep thanks to Santita Ebangwase’s six kills in 12 attempts in the third set. Niagara committed 10 errors in the third set, as well. The match took 1:27 to play, and 272 people were at The Women’s Building to see it.
GAME 1: SYR 25, NIA 16
GAME 2: SYR 25, NIA 20
GAME 3: SYR 25, NIA 22
