Blue Demons Fall in Syracuse
10/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
SYRACUSE, NY The DePaul volleyball fell to Syracuse 3-0 (30-22, 30-25, 30-28) Friday in BIG EAST Conference action at the SU Women's Building on Friday. The Blue Demons dip to 5-14 and 1-5 in league play while the Orange improves to 12-9 and are 3-3 in the conference.
Syracuse powered past DePaul as the Orange hit a sizzling .343 with Cheryl Cobbina and Kacie MasTavish each finishing with double-digit kill totals. Cobbina paced the floor with 13 kills and MacTavish finished with 11.
DePaul freshman middle blocker Jacie Fiedler toped DePaul with 11 kills for a .250 attack percentage. Junior Caitlin Callaghan and freshman setter Christy Landschoot finished with identical numbers - six kills on 11 attempts and zero attack errors. The duo each recorded a .645 attack percentage. Landschoot also dished out 33 assists.
The Blue Demons registered their best attack percentage of the evening in game one, but so did Syracuse. DePaul hit .244 with 15 kills, but the Orange tallied 17 for a steamy .455 attack percentage. Tied at 10, Syracuse strung together five consecutive points for a 15-10 lead and did not allow the Blue Demons to creep within three points for the rest of the game. The Orange took the first set, 30-22.
Syracuse led throughout game two despite the Blue Demons registering 19 kills compared to the Orange's 18. Syracuse tallied four solo blocks in the second set and picked up a 30-25 victory.
Game three was highlighted 15 tie scores as unforced errors plagued both teams. The Blue Demons found themselves in a 20-16 hole, but battled back to tie the game at 22 on a Syracuse service error. The two teams continued to trade side outs and Fiedler tied the game at 28 with a solo block. A Syracuse kill coupled with a Blue Demon attack error gave the Orange a 30-28 win.
Sophomore Sarah Cullen led DePaul defensively with 12 digs and freshman libero Katherine Knutson followed with eight.
The Blue Demons return to the court on Sunday when they face long-time rival Marquette at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee. The match is slated to begin at 2 p.m. (CST)