The bench went wild as Mariia Levanova went up for the kill. The freshman, who started the game for Syracuse, struck the ball as it went crashing into the floor, giving the Orange a 9-8 lead.

But the Women’s Building didn’t erupt as usual after a Syracuse kill; there was complete silence. Levanova was down, holding her knee.

Senior, Gosia Wlaszczuck fell to the floor with her hands over her face. But after a long silence that seemed to deject a previously energized Syracuse team, Wlaszczuck knew she had to lift her team’s spirits.

“(We can) either break and cry, or (we) can step up and win for the team,” she recalled telling her teammates. “Let’s win for her and do our best to fill her spot and get the W.”

Wlaszczuck said she noticed that most of her teammates energy rose after the injury instead of wasting their time talking about the injury.

Levanova wouldn’t return in Syracuse’s (13-4, 4-2 Atlantic Coast) 3-2 win over Virginia Tech (12-6, 3-3) on Sunday, instead sitting on the bench with her leg propped up as Syracuse came back.

Despite winning the first set, the Orange’s chances of pulling out a win for Levanova was slim as SU went down two sets to one, losing the third set by eight points.

Virginia Tech seemed to have taken a hold of the momentum. Seniors Nicolette Serratore, Monika Salkute and Wlaszczuck carried their frustration from Friday’s loss to Pittsburgh and used it as fuel to start the comeback in today’s match.

“We all tried to forget about those two sets and remember being down 2-1 doesn’t mean we lost… I think we stepped up as a team,” Wlaszczuck said.

In the fourth set, The Orange shifted the tide of the game. Yelin said Serratore’s improved serve was a catalyst for the comeback.

“When Nico started serving well…our blockers were doing a good job,” Yelin said. “The level of confidence for [Virginia Tech] went down… they’re young players from both sides, if you’re not doing well it’s hard to say strong.”

After taking the fourth set, 25-18, The Orange reached a fifth set for the third time this season. Players went up throughout the match to talk to Levanova, who was at the end of the bench with her leg covered by a towel. When she got up to walk, she needed crutches to do so.

Wlaszczuck and the Orange continued its success in five-set matches as a Monika Salkute kill gave the Orange their third straight five-set win.

The win seemed almost overshadowed after the game, as Yelin was upset in talking about Levanova’s injury. She is expected to visit the doctor tomorrow for an official prognosis.

When asked what he said to her following her injury, Yelin paused for a long time before answering. He rested his face in his hands.

“I just asked what kind of pain (she was in),” Yelin said. “Unfortunately it’s happened to me coaching a couple of times. I hate to have this experience…I was hoping and I still hope it’s not ACL.”

 

Published on October 11, 2015 at 8:20 pm

Contact Jack: jfupton@syr.edu