About halfway through the first set in the Syracuse volleyball team’s match against Colgate on Oct. 6, senior middle blocker Sarah Morton made history.

She leaped up by herself and rejected the 194th shot of her career – in front of her father and grandparents. They’re at every one of Morton’s games and serve as a constant reminder of the power of home-field advantage

‘It’s always nice to play in your home gym,’ Morton said. ‘You kind of get a sense of safety, and it’s always good to win when your fans come to watch you play.’

In the friendly confines of Manley Field House, the team is a perfect 7-0. Only two teams have even managed to take a set from Syracuse through those seven contests. The Orange fans allow the team to stay comfortable and relaxed, making home games that much easier. This weekend, the team hopes to continue its perfect play at home when it battles South Florida tonight at 7 p.m. and Georgetown on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Though the crowds at Manley have not been overly large, assistant coach Carol LaMarche believes playing in front of Syracuse fans gives the team a big lift.

‘The crowd is totally on your side,’ she said. ‘You know everyone in the stands, and they’re all cheering for you. They help motivate you, and you want to play well for them. I think that definitely helps.’

The average attendance for games this year is just over 140 people. That includes a game against Rutgers, when 356 fans were in attendance.

For Syracuse, though, it is more about who its fans are than how many of them are in the building, Morton said. Most of the team has family members and friends who come out regularly. Against Rutgers on Oct. 4, the Burnt Hills-Balston Lake Central Schools high school volleyball team came to Manley Field House to cheer on alumni Erin Little and Morton.

Another positive aspect of staying at home for the Orange is how much more comfortable and relaxed the team can stay. The team gets to sleep in its own beds. The players can stick to their own routines instead of staying on the team’s busy away-game schedule.

Senior Annabelle Pellerin said pregame meals are also much less of an ordeal at home games. The team knows they can have dinner or breakfast before games at head coach Jing Pu’s house or at one of the women’s houses – a much more comfortable setting than an unknown restaurant somewhere on the road.

At away games, the Orange has to worry about obstacles in other team’s gyms, such as low ceilings or scoreboards that could interfere with play. Junior middle blocker Hayley Todd said she has played a couple games where big, flickering video screens have been very distracting during play.

Morton also added that the team knows exactly what it is going to get in Manley Field House, as opposed to some potential surprises at away games.

‘We know our gym, so we know the atmosphere that the gym creates,’ she said. ‘I feel like when we go away, there’s always going to be some kind of hidden factor. We don’t know how their fans are going to be.’

At home, the Orange does not have to worry about any scoreboards, video screens or heckling fans. Instead, it can focus on just its game.

LaMarche said that this Syracuse team has the mentality to win wherever it plays, but also added that the women want to take advantage of the home-court atmosphere.

And the players would like to continue their domination in Manley Field House. Todd made it clear that she does not like to lose at home, and that playing on-campus changes the team’s mentality.

‘Playing in Manley is always exciting just because it’s big and bright,’ she said. ‘Just knowing you’re defending your home court makes a difference.’

zjbrown@syr.edu

Published on October 14, 2009 at 12:00 pm