SCORE: UAlbany 3, Syracuse 0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-17)
 
LOCATION: Capital Center - Albany, N.Y.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 1-0, 0-0 AE | Syracuse 0-2, 0-0 ACC
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes came out of the gates with a fire and did not let up as they worked for a three-set victory over Syracuse, Friday night.
 
COACH JOSH PICKARD: "It's always nice to open at home. I thought the team came out and executed really well tonight. Our team is still learning about each other and this was a good first step."
 
KEY STATS

• Sophomore Anna Myhal led the team with 10 kills.
• Senior Elisavet Papageorgiou led on defense with nine digs while adding a team-high three service aces.
• Leading the team with 24 assists, freshman Emilia Kuzniar followed Papageorgiou with seven digs.
• Freshman Kyrah Wilbur finished second with eight kills while leading the Great Danes with four receptions.
• Seeing a team total of 14 blocks, sophomore Tori Wilson and Papageorgiou led with four block assists each.
• UAlbany opened with a .253 hitting percentage.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Great Danes opened the match with the first two points before going on a five-point streak to earn an 8-2 lead.
• After some back-and-forth action, UAlbany held a 19-13 when the team broke up the back-and-forth with three straight points.
• Syracuse attempted to make their way back with a 3-0 run but the Great Danes finished the set, 25-19.
• UAlbany started the second set strong but the Orange gained a 4-2 lead after four straight points. 
• Syracuse added a 6-0 scoring run to take a 14-8 advantage.
• Making their way back, the Great Danes tied the score at 16 after an 8-2 scoring run.
• UAlbany finished the set strong to take a 2-0 match lead after a 25-22 set victory.
• The Orange grabbed the first point of the third set before the Great Danes gained a 4-2 lead.
• Going back and forth, the two teams saw three ties before Syracuse held a 10-8 lead.
• After a 12-2 scoring run from the Great Danes, UAlbany held a strong 20-13 advantage.
• Syracuse fought with back-and-forth action but the Great Danes were able to finish the set with a 25-17 victory and therefore earned the three-set sweep.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes will continue the UAlbany Invitational with an evening matchup against Navy tomorrow (Saturday, August 26) at 3 pm.
 
For more information on the University at Albany volleyball team, follow the squad's official social media accounts shown below.
Twitter - @ualbanyvb
Instagram & Threads - @ualbanyvb
Facebook – facebook.com/UAlbanyVB