Syracuse claimed the title at the Asics Invitational this weekend. The Orange defeated Hofstra, 4-1, on Sunday to become champions in Hempstead, N.Y.

No. 5 SU (2-0), who defeated Quinnipiac (1-1) 5-1 in its first game, led the Pride (1-1) 3-0 in the first half and cruised to the final whistle. SU had 21 shots with 16 on target, while holding Hofstra to four total shots, with just two on target.

The scoring started less than 13 minutes in, as Emma Russell scored her first goal of the year. About five minutes later, Alyssa Manley scored on an opportunity provided to her by Leonie Geyer. Geyer, the tournament MVP, finished the weekend with one goal and three assists.

Hofstra’s lone goal came off of a second-half penalty corner, courtesy of Carissa Witmer. SU responded with a penalty corner of its own, which was converted by Lauren Brooks to extend the lead to three.

Syracuse’s defense took it from there, holding Hofstra to one shot in the last 25 minutes of game time.

SU’s dominance was reflected in the All-Tournament team selections. Leonie Geyer, Manley, Laura Hahnefeldt and Jordan Page were all represented on the team.

The Orange will try to carry that momentum to East Lansing, Mich., where SU takes on Michigan State on Friday.

Volleyball

Syracuse (0-2) opened its season this weekend with a pair of sweeps at the hands of two ranked teams at the Penn State Invitational in University Park, Pa.

In its opener against No. 17 Louisville (1-1) on Friday, the Orange battled back and forth in the first set, eventually losing it 25-20. The Cardinals dominated early in the second set, fighting off a late Orange rally to take the set 25-19.

SU battled to stay in the match throughout the third set, keeping even with the Cardinals until the match reached 16-14, but the Cardinals rattled off nine of the last 12 points to close the set and the match.

Against then-No. 2 Penn State (2-0) on Saturday, Syracuse was able to stay competitive early in the first two sets, trailing 13-11 and 15-12, respectively. Penn State took control at this point in each set, though, closing out the two sets 25-15 and 25-17.

The Orange fired off a 6-2 run in the third set to tie the game at 11, but the Nittany Lions were able to go on a 14-6 run at this point to close the match.

Nicolette Serratore and Silvi Uattara each tallied six kills, and Erica Handley chipped in 16 assists.

SU will play its first home games this weekend in the Candlewood Suites Invitational against Stony Brook and Rutgers on Friday and Oakland and Colorado on Saturday.

—Compiled by staff writers Danny Cuneo and Ryan Raigrodski

Published on September 3, 2013 at 2:37 am