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Florida State scrambled to field a strong spike by outside hitter Marina Markova in the middle of the first set. After an acrobatic dig that bounced off the net and back, the Seminoles sent the ball back to Syracuse’s side of the court.

The weak return allowed Syracuse to set up in their end. Setter Elena Karakasi hit middle blocker Abby Casiano running before jumping high in the center of the court. Karakasi analyzed Florida State’s defense mid-air and turned from facing the left side of the court to swinging her left arm to her right. Casiano hit the ball in the perfect spot in the back right corner, where a hard spike got the kill.

Although the Orange (16-12, 5-11 Atlantic Coast) fell in four sets to Florida State (19-6, 11-4 ACC), Casiano stood out on offense and defense. The captain performed well the last time the two teams met when she recorded a .615 hitting percentage, eight kills and four blocks.

In the play before that running cross-body kill in the middle of the first set, Casiano was already starting to get in her zone. With Florida State up 13-10, Seminoles outside hitter Sydney Conley went for a kill on the left side of the net. But she was met by Markova and Casiano’s open hands and the ball was sent straight back for a Syracuse point. Casiano turned around at her teammates and yelled in excitement.

Casiano made her mark on the second set right out of the gates. She hit a ball from center court and down to her left side, and the ball bounced off a series of Florida State defenders before hitting the floor for a kill. Just two plays later, Casiano had another kill where she hit it straight down the middle of the Seminoles defense. This was a theme throughout the game — Casiano was hitting the ball close to the net and pretty much straight down, making it very difficult for the Seminoles to dig her spikes.

“I know I don’t hit the hardest. I will never be able to,” Casiano said. “It’s just not who I am, so I have to be a little sneakier in some ways.”

When Syracuse was down 5-4, libero Lauren Hogan fed Karakasi who set up Casiano at the net, but two Florida State blockers loomed. Casiano tipped the ball over the two blockers and it landed just barely past the net and on the right sideline.

“If I have a double block, there’s a high chance I’m going to tip around it, because I’m not about to get stuff blocked,” Casiano said. “It comes with a lot of years of playing, seeing the court and knowing how other teams work and knowing where their defense is.”

However, Casiano stayed strong on defense when the score was tied at one in the third set. Facing the opposing middle blocker, Florida State’s Khori Louis, Casiano met her at the middle of the net when she went for a spike. She got a clean block that was sent right back and directly at the ground. She said defense for her is simple — it’s about playing hard.

“You got to play. Wherever the ball gets thrown or whatever it goes. You got to be ready to play.” Casiano said.

Casiano finished the game with an efficient .538 hitting percentage, her fifth time with a percentage above .500 in a game with more than 10 attempts. She also matched her four blocks with four digs in the loss.

Published on November 14, 2021 at 4:36 pm

Contact Matthew: mahassan@syr.edu