When Jalissa Trotter, Syracuse’s starting setter, suffered an injury against Kansas State on Sept. 1, the team found itself in a rut. SU had endured two straight-set losses to Colgate and Wisconsin, and a bout at Arkansas loomed. Now, SU also needed to scrape together without its assists leader.

Trotter’s role was a difficult one to fill, associate head coach Erin Little said, but she thought backup Annie Bozzo was capable. Bozzo has proven Little right.

Since taking over as starting setter, Bozzo has on four separate occasions bested Trotter’s season-high of 35 assists, including a personal best (48) against Dartmouth on Sept. 8. The junior has helped Syracuse (8-5) to its best stretch of games this season. The Orange has won five of its last seven. She wants to continue playing regularly as the Orange begins Atlantic Coast Conference play Wednesday against Boston College at the Women’s Building at 5:30 p.m.

When Trotter returns from injury, Bozzo isn’t worried. She looks forward to competing with Trotter, because Little said Trotter’s return will make for a renewed battle for the starting spot.

“You never want someone to accept the role of backup,” Little said.

Syracuse ranks 238th in the country with only 10.94 assists per set, which means Bozzo’s role is especially important to lift a team craving greater assist production.

As a freshman, Bozzo played in 29 matches but did not start. She recorded 68 assists, the fourth highest on the team. In her sophomore year, Bozzo recorded 174 assists, which ranked second on the team behind Trotter (691). So far in her junior year, Bozzo has a team-high 271.

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“Annie is a very positive vocal presence on the floor,” Little said. “Stepping into that role is natural for her.”

Bozzo played two sets in the season opener against Siena, when she tallied 17 assists, a team high. Over the next few games, Trotter solidified her starting spot while Bozzo watched from the sidelines. Over Syracuse’s next four games, Trotter recorded 89 assists, 59 more than Dana Valelly, SU’s next highest contributor. Bozzo was used as a substitute in only two of those matches, registering one assist.

Not until the third set of Syracuse’s match against Kansas State was Bozzo given her chance. When Trotter went down, Bozzo entered the match and posted 13 assists en route to a four-set victory. After a difficult straight-set loss to Arkansas, Bozzo and Syracuse took off.

Three strong performances by Bozzo — 48, 38 and 40 assists, respectively  — led the Orange to a 3-0 record in the Dartmouth tournament. A week later, the Orange won two of three in the Hofstra tournament, with Bozzo dishing out 105 assists over the three-game span.

“My teammates have done a great job taking role with a new setter,” Bozzo said.

Published on September 20, 2017 at 12:38 am

Contact David: ddschnei@syr.edu