For the first 17 games of the season, everything seemed easy for Syracuse. It went up against opponents who were clearly not as skilled, and disposed of them without a problem. But once conference play started, things got tougher.

Wins haven’t come as easily. And heading into the weekend, the Orange is going to look to prove what type of team it really is:

Is it a Big East contender? Or just a non-conference bully?

‘I think the girls want to prove that they’re a good team,’ assistant coach Carol LaMarche said. ‘Starting off 1-2 in the Big East gets people talking that we aren’t as good as our (non-conference) record showed.’

After a 17-0 start, the best in program history, SU’s (18-2, 1-2 Big East) dominance hasn’t carried into its Big East schedule. The team is in a good position to turn things around this weekend, going up against two teams that are 0-3 against conference opponents this season in Connecticut and St. John’s.

UConn has struggled overall, coming into Syracuse with a 2-12 overall record. And although it might be winless in conference, the Red Storm could be a tough challenge as it goes into the weekend 13-7.

Despite having the best overall record in the Big East, the Orange’s success against conference opponents has been minimal. Syracuse’s lone conference victory came in a 3-1 win over Georgetown. Its first loss of the season came at the hands of South Florida. Then, SU had its worst game of the season in a 3-1 loss to Villanova.

If the Orange could take any solace in its match against the Wildcats, it’s the fact that it didn’t necessarily lose because it wasn’t good enough. Really, SU beat itself, not getting to balls it should have been able to get to.

‘Not everything clicked the way it had been clicking,’ outside hitter Mindy Stanislovaitis said. ‘We just need to keep working on the things that happened this weekend and come out stronger.’

It’s obvious that the level of competition SU faced throughout its non-conference schedule was much lower. So low, in fact, that Syracuse played 10 straight games without losing a single set. Still, the Orange displayed an offense that looked to be capable of beating any opponent.

But that hasn’t been the case. And that’s what the Orange will try to turn around this weekend. SU does have an advantage in that both of its next two games are at home. For the first time this season, the Orange will have the crowd behind it for a conference game.

‘It makes such a big difference,’ defensive specialist Sarah Hayes said. ‘When we’re on the road, we’re on a bus for six hours a day. It’s miserable, your body hurts, everything just isn’t right.’

Although it’s still early to start thinking seriously about winning the conference championship, there’s still some significance to this weekend. If SU loses both games, it’ll remain at the very bottom of the Big East, in a position that could be impossible to recover from.

The best-case scenario would clearly be to take both games and head into next week with a 3-2 conference record. Also on the line for SU is getting into the top five in the conference, which would be an improvement over its current 10th-place position. Otherwise, Hayes said, SU could play itself out of contention.

‘Definitely teams we need to beat,’ Hayes said. ‘(Head coach) Jing (Pu) was telling us that this is crucial for us to get into the top five this weekend. If we don’t, then we won’t. And that’s where we need to be.’

For the first time this year, the Orange heads into a game with its back against the wall. Not so much because the Huskies are better, but because questions of the Orange’s true skill will linger. This isn’t a position SU is used to. At least not this season.

But if the Orange wants to prove that it really is a good team, and deserves to be top five in the Big East, it will have to try to use that to its advantage. Especially if Syracuse wants to prove that it belongs in the conversation for conference contenders.

‘Just come out strong, that’s really what we need to do,’ Stanislovaitis said. ‘When it comes down to it, we’ve been underdogs in the Big East all four years I’ve been here. We need to take on that underdog mentality. That fighter mentality that we’re not going to let anybody roll over us.’

cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on October 6, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman