Syracuse (5-1) opened up the Long Island University Blackbird Invitational by losing its first match of the season, falling to No. 13 Arizona (7-0) in Brooklyn, NY.

After the Wildcats scored the first two points of the match, the Orange went on a 6-1 run. That was all the cushion Syracuse needed as it went on to win the first set, 25-16.

The second set featured an early run by Arizona as they raced out to an early 9-2 lead. The Orange fought back throughout the set, even cutting the Wildcat lead to three, but Arizona held on to win the second set, 25-21.

The third set featured the turning point of the match. In the early stages of the set there was a 9-9 tie with both teams playing evenly. Syracuse then went on an 11-3 run, opening up a commanding 20-12 lead and forcing an Arizona timeout in the process.

After cutting the lead to 22-15, the Wildcats scored seven straight points to tie the set at 22. Syracuse scored another point to regain a 23-22 lead, but the Wildcats went on to win the last three points of the set and steal the third set from the Orange, 25-23.

Arizona’s strong play carried into the fourth set. After opening up a big lead early, the Orange cut the lead down to 17-14. That was the closest the set would get, as the Wildcats went on another dominating run to end the match and win the set by a score of 25-18.

Redshirt senior Nicolette Serratore led the Orange with 15 kills. Senior Gosia Wlaszczuk had a team-high 28 assists and sophomore libero Belle Sand led the way with 19 digs.