STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Syracuse freshman Polina Shemanova was uncomfortable.

In Friday’s first two sets, the ACC Freshman of the Year had six kills, well below her average of 4.25 kills per set.

As Syracuse changed sides, head coach Leonid Yelin pulled Shemanova away from the rest of the team. He grabbed her shoulder and uttered one phrase: “Just keep going.”

It worked. After struggling early, Shemanova doubled her kills in the final set alone, finishing with a team-high 12. That helped lead Syracuse (19-8, 4-4 Atlantic Coast) to a 3-0 win over Yale (19-5, 13-1 Ivy) in SU’s first-ever NCAA tournament game. It sets up a meeting with eight-seed Penn State on Saturday.

In the first two sets, Yale’s size slowed down Shemanova, Yale head coach Erin Appleman said. In the second set, Syracuse started to adjust. Shemanova spent more time in the back row as senior Santita Ebangwese became the focal point of the offense. Instead of slapping powerful spikes, Shemanova sacrificed her body to save errant digs and aided junior Aliah Bowllan in defending the Yale attacks. Shemanova finished with an SU-high 12 digs.

Then, after speaking with Yelin, she relaxed. Shemanova started to pick and choose when to attack instead of firing away at every possible opportunity.

“I was more into the game,” Shemanova said of her third set revival. “Two sets were already gone, we were up, and I was more comfortable.”

Through the beginning of the second set, Shemanova had spent most of the time near the net as an outside hitter. As a result, she only had only four kills.

With the score tied at 6-6, sophomore Ella Saada knelt to defend a Yale spike. Eventually, Shemanova smacked the ball cross-court, trying to evade Yale freshman Samantha Bray, but she misfired. Bray rejected her hit into the back of SU junior Dana Valelly.

“I think we did a good job of containing her in the bigger front row,” Appleman said. “But out of the back row, she’s unstoppable.”

Syracuse celebrates its first-round win which sets up a matchup with the hosts Penn State. Courtesy of Syracuse Athletics | Matthew Sniegowski

In the second set, when Syracuse faced a four-point deficit, Shemanova was moved to the middle, behind Amber Witherspoon. It instantly aided SU’s defense. Shemanova ran into the stands to retrieve misplaced digs and repeatedly dove to keep the ball from hitting the ground.

In the second set, the move to the back paid dividends on defense. In the third, it was Shemanova’s offense.

“After two sets, she was more comfortable,” Yelin said.

One set away from a win, Shemanova boosted the Orange attack. With a clearer view of the Yale defense from the back row, she evaded blockers and found the weak spots of the Bulldogs defense.

On the final point of the match, Shemanova spiked a kill down the middle of the court. As it hit the ground, she threw her arms in the air and screamed. Witherspoon wrapped her arms around the freshman as the Syracuse bench sprinted out to celebrate.

After the two teams shook hands, Yelin held out his arm to shake hands with Shemanova. She slapped it away and hugged him.

“On defense, she’s disciplined so that’s why she gets digs,” senior Ebangwese said. “I definitely know offensively, she makes smart plays and that’s what allows her to get so many kills.”

Published on November 30, 2018 at 8:48 pm

Contact Adam: adhillma@syr.edu | @_adamhillman