The Red came out of the gate firing in its 2008 home opener, but Syracuse responded quickly and efficiently and ultimately bested Cornell, 25-22, 25-18, 25-20. The first set was the most heavily contested of the match; at times, Cornell (1-6) enjoyed leads of as many as five points, but Syracuse seemed never to fade away. The set started as a quick back-and-forth affair with both teams trading points won on relatively short rallies. Cornell won the first long rally of the game to move ahead, 5-4. Some nice hitting from junior middle blocker Juliana Rogers put the Red ahead, 9-6, before an ace from senior captain Hilary Holland gave the team a four-point lead. Cornell’s largest lead came after senior right side Kathryn Woodbury hit two nice shots in a row to put the Red up, 14-9. The Syracuse defense, however, then found its groove.

There’s no place like home. At least that’s what the volleyball team is hoping, as it dusts itself off after a tough 1-5 start to the preseason and focuses on preparing for its first homestand of 2008, beginning with a match against Syracuse tonight.