Hayley Todd lurks in the middle of the court, waiting for the ultimate payoff from her position – a crushing block.

A block in volleyball is similar to a block in basketball, in terms of momentum and emotion. Getting a shot rejected drops the morale of the opponent, while a crucial block can become the spark that pushes a team to victory.

‘It pumps you up pretty good,’ said Todd, a junior middle blocker. ‘It’s pretty exciting when you get a huge block, and you can use that momentum to get more points.’

But it’s not just Todd. The entire Syracuse team is using the high-octane play to its advantage in 2009. Through the team’s first nine games, the Orange (7-2) is out-blocking its opponents, 111-48. The team ranks first in the Big East in blocks and blocks per set (3.08), lifting the Orange to third place in the overall conference standings.

Todd is second on the team with 29 blocks, followed closely by senior outside hitter Annabelle Pellerin (23). The top blocker for the Orange this year, senior Sarah Morton, is one of the best in program history.

‘Morton is one of the best blockers in the conference, if not the country, so that helps us a lot,’ Todd said.

Morton was First-Team All-Big East as a junior, and currently leads the conference with 64 blocks and a 1.78 block per set average. She ranks second in SU history with 144 solo blocks heading into the season.

‘I’d much rather block the last point of the match, then hit the last point,’ Morton said. ‘I like taking it away from other people. It’s more fun.’

The SU coaches and players believe that a lot of what makes a good blocker is simply natural talent. There is some strategy involved, but once the ball is in the air, instinct takes over.

‘It’s all really just a rush. You see the ball and sprint as fast as you can to get there,’ Morton said. ‘If you don’t, your team is going to get crushed in the face, so you have to get out there.’

And Syracuse has been ‘getting out there’ easily so far. The team has matched or bettered its opponents in blocking in each match this season, since the opener against New Hampshire.

On Sept. 4 the Orange equaled then-No. 20 Michigan State with 12 blocks in the toughest game of the year (a 3-2 loss). Against Niagara on Sept. 1, SU out-blocked the Purple Eagles, 18-2, in a 3-2 win. In a rematch against New Hampshire on Saturday, Syracuse bested the Wildcats with 17 blocks in another 3-0 win that clinched the Rhode Island Tournament title.

Though Syracuse has dominated in blocks during the non-conference slate, it could get more difficult as the Orange heads into the Big East schedule at the end of the month.

‘It will get tougher,’ Morton said. ‘We’ll play bigger hitters and tougher hitters, but I feel like these games will give us more and more experience knowing how to set up the defense.’

SU assistant coach Carol LaMarche talked about setting up the blocking for two purposes: take a shot away from the hitter and help the defense behind the block.

Despite the Orange’s gaudy numbers, the team has worked a great deal on blocking in practice. LaMarche said she believes the team can definitely get better. She said the Orange needs to work on closing down holes in the block and taking away certain angles.

‘I think we’re a good blocking team, but I don’t necessarily think of us as a huge blocking team,’ LaMarche said. ‘There’s always room for improvement.’

Syracuse may have some room to improve, but the Orange appears to have found strength in an area that can alter the flow of any match.

‘It lifts the morale of our team and changes the game completely,’ Morton said. ‘You take away their best offense, and it’s just an awesome feeling.’

zjbrown@syr.edu

Published on September 14, 2009 at 12:00 pm