Canes crush Syracuse Orange in aggressive close game

The Women's Volleyball team sweeps Syracuse with a 3-0 win. Alexis Mourning (4) had seven kills in this match. Giancarlo Falconi // Assistant Photo Editor
The Women's Volleyball team sweeps Syracuse with a 3-0 win. Alexis Mourning (4) had seven kills in this match. Giancarlo Falconi // Assistant Photo Editor
The Women’s Volleyball team sweeps Syracuse with a 3-0 win. Alexis Mourning (4) had seven kills in this match. Giancarlo Falconi // Assistant Photo Editor

The Hurricanes capped off a successful weekend of ACC play with a 3-0 win against Syracuse at the Knight Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon. Miami (17-5, 7-3) also defeated Boston College 3-0 on Friday night.

The Canes held a steady lead throughout the majority of the first set, which they won 25-17, but grappled in the second set as an aggressive back-and-forth struggle ensued. The Canes eventually emerged victorious 26-24 and sealed the victory in the third set 25-17.

Senior outside hitter Taylor Scott delivered a striking 19 kills, while senior libero Kalysta White excelled on defense with 17 digs.

Despite the aggressive play exhibited by both teams, the Canes and the Orange were unable to avoid a considerable amount of service errors in the match. Miami had seven, while Syracuse recorded 11.

The Canes had a rocky start in the first set with back-to-back attack and service errors giving Syracuse an early three-point lead. An impressive dig accompanied by a kill by senior middle blocker Alexis Mourning showed the Orange that the Canes were determined to steal their lead. Consecutive Syracuse violations followed by a Mourning ace gave the Canes the lead they had been searching for. They controlled the lead through the rest of the set, winning 25-17.

While Miami maintained a stable advantage in the first set, Syracuse (13-7, 6-4) responded in the second, delivering an aggressive performance that kept fans on the edge of their seats. The Canes started off confidently with a kill by Scott, but after two attack errors by Miami, Syracuse took the lead. The Canes, however, would not be bullied and kept the set neck-to-neck until Syracuse took the lead once again by four points.

“In the middle, it was rough,” Scott said. “When you go into the game, you can’t let the score affect your play. You have to trust what you do and how you train.”

The Canes rose to the challenge and closed their deficit, ultimately winning 26-24.

Miami approached the court ready to finish the match in the third set with an outpouring of team spirit and high-fives. The team’s confidence transcended to the court, where they maintained the lead the entire set, closing out with a 25-17 win.

The Canes next play Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. on Friday in Blacksburg, Virginia.