Syracuse (4-4) defeated Dartmouth (1-3) Friday night in the Dartmouth Tournament in Hanover, New Hampshire. The Orange won in four sets, 22-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-17.

Syracuse’s hitters powered the Orange. Santita Ebangwese (18 kills, season-high .739 hitting percentage) and Ella Saada (13 kills) paced the Orange on the offensive end. Annie Bozzo recorded 48 assists, the most by an SU player this season, and four players tallied 12 digs or more in a collective defensive effort by the visitors.

The first set began with the two teams trading points until the score was locked at 10. Dartmouth used a quick 4-0 run to separate themselves and Syracuse was unable to recover. For the remainder of the set, SU did not get within two points. Despite having more kills than the home team, Syracuse made five attack errors to Dartmouth’s two, and the Orange fell, 25-22.

A quick start to the second set saw Syracuse up 5-1, a lead they continued to build on. This time, it was Dartmouth’s errors that prevented a comeback. The Big Green made five attack errors, and the Orange won the set, 25-14. Six different SU players registered a kill. Ebangwese herself had four.

Just like the opening set, the two teams were tied at 10 to start the third. Neither team was able to gain any sort of advantage, until two misfired sets by Dartmouth put the Orange up, 18-16. After a Big Green timeout, Syracuse scored three straight points, increasing their lead to five. A late, 4-0 run brought Dartmouth within striking distance, to 23-21. But SU finished off DU to capture the set, 25-21.

The Orange used another lengthy run in the final set to differentiate itself from the tournament host. This time, SU went on a 10-3 run to extend their lead to nine points after a tightly-contested beginning to the set. The lead was too great for Dartmouth to surmount, and Syracuse took the set, 25-17.

Syracuse will continue play in the Dartmouth tournament tomorrow, with matchups against Sacred Heart at 10:30 a.m. and Iona at 4:30 p.m.