After Syracuse took on Georgetown on Oct. 9, Kelly Morrisroe looked down at her clipboard. The statistics she read only confirmed what she already knew: October is the month that freshman players show their inexperience.

‘This month is notorious for spotty freshman play,’ interim head coach Morrisroe said. ‘Freshmen play like freshmen in October.’

For a team with nine freshmen, October wasn’t as spotty as Morrisroe once thought. SU had two bad losses against Georgetown on Oct. 9 and West Virginia last weekend, but the losses can’t be pinned solely on the first-year players’ inexperience.

For the most part, the Orange’s freshmen stepped up in October. Four of nine freshmen have seen significant playing time this season. They have been major contributors as SU (17-9, 6-4 Big East) makes its final push for the postseason. The Orange is currently tied for fifth place in the Big East with four matches remaining in the regular season. To secure its place in the top eight to qualify for the Big East tournament, Syracuse will need its freshmen to continue to perform in November.

Outside hitter Andrea Fisher has been the most reliable of the rookies. Playing opposite Noemie Lefebvre, Fisher has become a viable offensive threat with 228 kills on the season.

Against Cornell, Fisher thrived. The Burlington, Ontario, native had career highs of 18 kills and 16 digs. At one juncture against Georgetown, Fisher dug a spike attempt before connecting for a kill herself.

Through those standout performances, Fisher has emerged as a top offensive threat for the Orange.

‘She’s stepped in and she was very, very strong with a good jump,’ Lefebvre said. ‘So it’s always good to have her in the front row.’

Other freshmen have also made more contributions since Morrisroe took over for Jing Pu.

Outside hitter Nicolette Serratore uses her height to block shots at the net and has a dangerous serve.

Serratore throws the ball higher before her serve than any of her SU teammates, and the end result is a high-velocity serve that confounded Seton Hall more than one weekend ago in a four-set win. Her high-flying serve backed up Pirates defenders to set up her teammates for kills on offense.

Defensive specialist Julia Mindlina has provided a spark for SU off the bench. Mindlina is often brought in to end an opposing team’s scoring streak. Against Villanova, Mindlina recorded 12 digs to help the Orange to victory.

Morrisroe uses Serratore and Mindlina in a rotation depending on the situation.

‘That’s something we’re comfortable with,’ Morrisroe said. ‘They both bring something different to the table.’

Setter Emily Betteridge stands as the freshman with the most to gain from a specialized rotation, though. Though Pu rarely used his backup setter, Morrisroe has made Betteridge a staple in the lineup.

The Pickering, Ontario, native averages nine assists per set this season, with most of her production coming since the coaching change.

When SU needs a boost on offense — as it did after losing a hotly contested third set against Seton Hall — Morrisroe turns to Betteridge.

Starting setter Laura Homann sees Betteridge’s potential as a complement to her game.

‘We have really different styles, so it’s really nice to have a change up,’ Homann said. ‘Especially when the other team starts stacking up on your players.’

Outside hitter Ying Shen hasn’t shared in her teammate’s success, though. The highlight of Shen’s season so far came in late August, when she had 22 kills over a two-game span to help SU capture a Big Orange Tournament title.

Since then, Shen has trailed off. The strength of her game — serving — has been a weakness lately, as a crucial serve against Georgetown failed to go over the net at the end of the match.

The error gave the Hoyas the victory in the deciding set.

Though Shen has struggled, Morrisroe expects to see her improve like the rest of her teammates in these final four games. Shen and the Orange can only get better in their final month of play.

‘Other teams were keying on her a little bit,’ Morrisroe said. ‘She’ll get her confidence back.’

nctoney@syr.edu

Published on November 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Nick: nctoney@syr.edu | @nicktoneytweets