As usual, the Syracuse volleyball team drew a small crowd. But some unusual guests attended yesterday’s match against Providence — a Time Warner television production crew.

The Women’s Building gymnasium was wired for one of the season’s three televised volleyball matches, and the Orangewomen delivered for the cameras. Syracuse tripled Providence’s score in the first game and won by even wider margins in the next two.

The game will air on channel 13 for Time Warner cable subscribers at 4 p.m. today and 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

Although Time Warner picked a weak opponent for this week’s volleyball broadcast, players and fans felt the positive influence of the cameras. Jamie Seh and Desiree Dillabough — a 1999 graduate and former Syracuse volleyball player — called the game.

‘When (games were) televised,’ Dillabough said, ‘it added to my excitement because you knew you were going to see yourself on TV the next day.’

Now, Dillabough adds to that excitement with her color commentary. The commentators hope the televised volleyball games will show players and fans that Syracuse pays as much respect to its non-revenue sports as to football and basketball.

‘When the girls see us, they know that they’re going to be on TV,’ Dillabough said. ‘It develops that aura of excitement.’

Indeed, the Time Warner broadcasts have noticeably expanded the volleyball team’s fan base. After last month’s televised loss to West Virginia, the Orangewomen and their coaches felt a few minutes of fame.

‘A lot of people always tell me on campus, ‘Oh, I saw you on TV last night,” senior co-captain Abby Van Mater said. ‘So a lot of people see it.’

‘People I have never met say, ‘Hey, I saw you on TV,’ ‘ head coach Jing Pu said. ‘I think TV is still the most effective way to reach more people.’

And that’s exactly what Pu and the Orangewomen want to do — expose more people to volleyball and increase the team’s attendance. Pu also runs a local volleyball camp for young, aspiring players, many of whom attended the Providence game.

‘I don’t think the TV coverage itself will enhance the performance,’ Pu said. ‘But after the match, everyone enjoys watching it — especially for parents who can’t make it.’

Turning a small venue like the Women’s Building gymnasium into a television studio proved a challenge for the Time Warner team. The bleachers were laden with makeshift wiring, and cameramen prowled the sidelines. But the Orangewomen weren’t bothered by the haphazard setup.

‘Our girls are used to it,’ assistant coach Alexis Dankulic said. ‘We don’t have TV timeouts or anything like that, so I don’t think it really affects the girls.’

‘Sometimes the cameramen get in the way,’ Van Mater said. ‘But I don’t think it’s distracting.’

Syracuse’s last home game, against Big East-leading Notre Dame on Saturday, will also be broadcast by Time Warner. And unlike the Providence blowout, this game is expected to be harder for the Orangewomen.

‘(Notre Dame) will definitely be a lot more intense than today,’ Van Mater said. ‘I might tune in to that one.’

Published on November 3, 2002 at 12:00 pm