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A day after Florida State defeated Syracuse in straight sets, the Seminoles did it again in the Orange’s final game of the season. The 3-0 loss on Friday means the Orange are winless on the road for the first time during head coach Leonid Yelin’s tenure, which began in 2012. 

Sophomore setter Lauren Woodford committed a service error on the first point of the match, and the rest of Friday afternoon followed a similar theme for the Orange — they scored a season-low 22 kills and lost all three sets by 12 or more points.

FSU used a seven-point run to take control in the first set after the two teams were tied at 3-3 early on. The Orange attack couldn’t get much going in the opening set, generating just two multi-point runs. Syracuse ended the set with a hitting percentage of .037, and outside hitter Ella Saada led SU with three kills and four points. Saada’s appeared in all 105 games during her four years at SU and finished with six kills and 14 digs during her final career game.

The following two sets followed a similar pattern where the Orange (7-9, 7-9 Atlantic Coast) kept it close for the first few points before FSU (14-5, 10-5) pulled away using a long run. The Seminoles’ victory caps off a season in which they never lost at the Tully Gym. 

Sophomore outside hitter Viktoriia Lokhmanchuk provided the only offensive spark in the second set, tallying five of Syracuse’s six total kills. Freshman Naomi Franco recorded the other one. The Seminoles topped their seven-point run in the first set by going on an eight-point one in the second set.

By the final set, Syracuse allowed a 10-point run after the score was tied 4-4. The Orange won four of the last six points, including kills from Izzy Plummer and Elena Karakasi, but SU was nowhere close to catching up to the Seminoles. 

In her final game with the Orange, Saada finished with a hitting percentage of .056, her lowest mark in the spring season. Lokhmanchuk led the team with eight kills and nine points. Middle blocker Abby Casiano made just 12 attacks in the match, tied for the sophomore’s lowest amount in the spring season.

The Orange finished below .500 for the second consecutive year. They won just three total sets across seven road games during the 2020-21 season.

Published on April 2, 2021 at 7:47 pm

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com