Orange Sweep Tigers Friday Evening

CLEMSON, S.C. – Syracuse volleyball (10-9, 6-3 ACC) secured the three-set sweep against Clemson (11-10, 2-7 ACC) on Friday evening inside Jervey Gymnasium (25-23, 25-17, 25-19). Tonight’s victory was the squad’s second sweep of the season and first since entering conference play.
 
“I’m really proud of the team’s performance tonight,” said head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam. “The energy level and the focus was sky-high. Our assistants Aven Lee and Lesli Akeo did an excellent job preparing the team going into tonight’s match, even in-game they provided excellent options and solutions to our athletes to help get the job done.”
 
The first set of the night was a closely contested battle. As it was within three points, until Polina Shemanova and Naomi Franco locked in kills to put the Orange ahead 20-15 over the Tigers. At the end of the first frame, back-to-back hills from graduate middle blocker Bre Walp closed the set, 25-23.
 
In the second frame ‘Cuse jumped ahead early on a 9-2 run. The squad raced to 15 first with kills yet again from Shemanova and Franco to make it 15-7. Closing it out, SU went on another 6-1 run to close it out 25-17. The final kill of set two came from redshirt-freshman Raina Hughes.
 
The Orange shut down the Tigers early by wrapping up the third frame of action with a final score of 25-19.
 
‘Cuse paced the Tigers in points (52-43), kills (39-35), aces (8-4), blocks (5-4), assists (39-32). An even 32 digs were…