No. 17 volleyball runs win streak to 6 with Syracuse sweep

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From SMUMustangs.com:

No. 17 SMU Earns Sixth Straight Win at Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (SMU) – The No. 17 SMU volleyball team extended its winning streak to six, sweeping Syracuse (11-3, 0-3 ACC) on the road with set scores of 25-15, 25-17, and 25-22. The Mustangs improved their record to 11-3 and 3-0 in ACC action.

SMU hit .294 for the match, while the Orange hit just .060. The Mustangs finished with eight blocks and eight service aces. SMU also outdug the Orange 33-30.

Naya Shime led the Mustangs with 12 kills, hitting .435, with nine digs and four blocks. Maya Tabron logged six kills and seven digs, while Celia Cullen dished out 31 assists and added five digs and three blocks.

MATCH NOTES:
SMU improved to 4-0 all-time against the Orange.
The Mustangs handed Syracuse their first home loss of the season.
SMU held their sixth opponent under -.100 hitting this season.
The match was the program's first at Syracuse
Coach Erger improves to 59-20 as the Mustangs' head coach.
HOW IT HAPPENED:

SET ONE | SMU set the tone to start the opening set and capitalized on some early rotational mistakes by the Orange, taking a 7-2 advantage out of the gate. A four-point run, including kills from Tabron and Cullen, gave the Mustangs an even greater lead at 12-4. Syracuse went on a run of their own midway through to get the Orange back into it. The run drew them within three (16-13) before SMU rallied for three straight to stretch their lead back out to seven. After two points from Syracuse in response, SMU closed out the set on kills from Perdue, an ace from Bolton, and a kill from Foster to take a 25-15 set one win. SMU hit .316 in the first frame and held Syracuse to a -.043 percentage after one.

SET TWO | The Mustangs kept themselves in striking distance to start the second set. SMU held a slight lead until a four-point run headed by two kills from Shime gave the Mustangs a 13-8 advantage, their most significant in the second set. Syracuse closed the gap to as little as four on a solo block, but SMU kept the Orange from capitalizing on any momentum. SMU ended the second set, collecting four of the final five points to win the frame 25-17. After not recording a kill in the first set, Shime took over in the second set with seven kills on ten swings.

SET THREE | SMU logged the first two points in the third set and held that lead until a six-point run created an eight-point separation, giving SMU a 16-8 lead. The Orange gained momentum with a length run that brought them within three (19-16), forcing a SMU timeout. Syracuse eventually tied the set, scoring four of the next five out of the timeout. A block by Foster and Shime halted the Syracuse run, followed by a kill from Shime, forcing a timeout by the Orange as the Mustangs needed two points to complete the sweep with a two-point lead at 23-21. A Foster ace put SMU on match point. Syracuse survived for one point, but a kill from Jentry Lamirand closed the set with a 25-22 score. Shime led the Mustangs again with five kills in the final frame.

SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Naya Shime (12)
SMU Assist Leader: Celia Cullen (31)
SMU Digs Leader: Naya Shime/Maya Tabron (7)
SMU Blocks Leader: Nnedi Okammor (5)
SMU Ace Leader: Ellie Bolton (3)

UP NEXT:
No. 17 SMU Volleyball next battles Boston College on Sunday, Oct. 6 at noon CT in the Margot Connell Recreation Center in Chestnut, MA.