When Syracuse set up double blocks in the corners, Duke players hit angled balls across the court. And when SU countered by moving blockers closer to the middle, Duke popped balls over the Orange’s outstretched arms.

“They were running pretty fast,” middle blocker Lindsay McCabe said. “That always makes (blocking) a challenge but they’re really smart hitters, they can see the block and hit around.”

Behind their blockers, SU’s defensive specialists were sent diving and flailing for balls and were unable to dig with consistency. As a result, Syracuse (8-17, 1-12 Atlantic Coast) recorded its second-fewest blocks of its conference season and fell to Duke (18-6, 10-3) in three sets in front of 326 in the Women’s Building on Sunday afternoon. The Orange’s defense was incapable of slowing down the Blue Devils, who hit .339 for the match. SU recorded only 34 digs to Duke’s 58.

The Orange also averages almost three blocks per set on the season but recorded only six in three sets in the match. While Duke’s libero, Sasha Karelov, recorded 22 digs, SU’s Belle Sand had only eight.

“You have to be digging the ball,” SU head coach Leonid Yelin said, “you have to expect that they are going to find a way to move (the) ball around block, over block, off-speed, and you have to be able to see it, to read it and react.

“… We tied blocking 6-6 but our six is much more valuable to us and I will explain why. They kept us out of system for much, much more than we kept them.”

SU struggled digging the ball behind its blocks, which made it hard to find the setter off the dig and set up the offense.

More blocks for the SU defense would have lessened the pressure on the Orange defensive specialists. Duke’s offense was very fast, with hard, quick sets that kept Syracuse players guessing.

“The sets being so fast, you just have to hustle to try to get over there,” freshman middle blocker Leah Levert said.

Leading by five in the third set, a Duke player received a set facing a double block by SU, but simply tipped the ball over the players’ fingers. The Orange dug the ball and sent it back to the Duke side, and once again Blue Devils middle blocker Jordan Tucker faced a double block.

But the SU blockers were late to the spot and Tucker hammered the ball home between them.

“They’re so rushing to get their position on the floor, maybe it’s a little bit wrong, and if you (are) in the wrong position, it doesn’t really matter,” Yelin said. “You can be in the right time, get over, but the spot is open too much line or too much cross court or it’s a hole between them.”

Duke players consistently found the hole in the block when there was one, but the Blue Devils were mostly able to find good angles to hit around blocks.

On match point, Duke setter Kelsey Williams set outside hitter Jeme Obeime, who again faced a double block at the front left corner of the court. Obeime was well positioned far in the corner and was thus able to hit at a sharp angle across the court.

The ball found the floor and the match was Duke’s.

“Obviously you cannot play just (relying solely) on the blocks,” Yelin said of the defense behind his blockers. “It’s a nice dream but it’s never going to happen like this.”

Published on November 9, 2014 at 5:56 pm