WVU Mountaineer Sports: Basketball | Football | News |Volleyball: Mountaineers Bring Down Orange

With Syracuse leading 24-23 in the third set, the West Virginia University volleyball team capitalized on a Syracuse service error to go on a 5-2 run and take the set and defeat the Orange 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 28-26) for the first time since 2002.

            The Mountaineers (6-15, 4-6) started the third set with a 3-0 lead before the Orange (16-9, 5-4) battled back to tie the set 5-5. The teams traded points the rest of the set until a kill from Erin Little put Syracuse at its first set point. WVU would not let the Orange take the next point and used three kills from senior outside hitter Kylie Armbruster and one kill from junior outside hitter Anke de Jong to overpower Syracuse and take the match.

            "The girls came out really focused today and got on Syracuse from the beginning," coach Jill Kramer says. "I thought that was important and then we stayed on top of them from set to set which is a real big step for us. This definitely keeps us in the hunt for the BIG EAST tournament and every match is an important match for us.

"The best thing is that over the course of the last three or four weeks, we have continued to get better every match we have played in. It is great that they get to be rewarded for their improvement with a win because I know that makes them feel even better. It was a significant match because it is the last time we will play them in league. We won't play them in the future except in preseason play and that is important because we got to end an eight year winning streak that they have had over us. It's a big step for our program in the right direction."

            WVU took a commanding 5-1 lead to start set one with kills from freshman middle blocker Evyn McCoy and senior middle blocker Abby Monson. Syracuse pulled the match within two, but the Mountaineers would not let the Orange get any closer as it took set one 25-15 after a 6-0 run.

            Senior setter Kari Post got the Mountaineers off to a quick start in set two as she recorded two service aces as WVU jumped to a 6-1 lead. Syracuse would come back to pull the match within three, but the Mountaineers were too strong offensively as senior outside hitter Michelle Kopecky recorded her ninth kill of the match to take the set 25-20.

            Armbruster and Kopecky led WVU with 14 kills each and a .303 and .265 hitting percentage, respectively. Post dished out 41 assists and two service aces while senior libero Serinna Russo chipped in 25 digs.

            The Mountaineers return to action, Sunday, Oct. 30, at the WVU Coliseum where it will take on BIG EAST foe Marquette at 2 p.m.