When Syracuse trotted out for its opening game against New Hampshire on Aug. 31, it marked the collegiate debut not only for SU’s freshman kills-leader Polina Shemanova but also sophomore Yuliia Yastrub. An international transfer from Nikolaev, Ukraine, Yastrub was not eligible to play last season. In limited action in her first SU game, she had two kills and three digs.

Since then, Yastrub has stepped up, tallying Syracuse’s (9-5, 5-1 Atlantic Coast) fifth-most kills. Of her 52 kills, 24 have come in the Orange’s last three games, adding another dimension to SU’s offensive attack. Yastrub has established herself as an outside hitter for SU.

“She did really well,” associate head coach Erin Little said. “She’s always been a great defender for us in the back row. Her serve is very strong, and she’s a solid serve receiver so offensively we saw good numbers from her, and she’s been more and more effective.”

Yastrub’s first big performance came against Iowa State on Sept. 16 in a 3-2 win, where she collected 11 kills and added 19 digs. On Sept. 30 in a 3-1 win against Duke, she racked up a career-high 14 kills.

The Iowa State performance stuck out to senior Jalissa Trotter as Yastrub showed she belonged.

“She is very scrappy, she hustles all the time, she’s always talking,” Trotter said. “Especially on defense, she gives us a lot on defense for sure. She’s constantly keeping us energized. I mean making great saves, making great digs, that feeds into our energy.”

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Yastrub said she’s constantly offering support to her teammates on the court, even if it’s just saying “good job, good job” when the team huddles between points.

“She’s a ball of energy,” senior Santita Ebangwese said. “She helps keep us going, and her spirit and the way she fights is something we need on the court, and that’s why I love her on the court.”

Head coach Leonid Yelin said it was “an easy decision” to recruit Yastrub, citing how her skills fit well with the team, as well as her positive personality.

For Yastrub, Syracuse presented an option she did not have back in her home country. In Ukraine, Yastrub couldn’t play volleyball and study in school, she said. At SU, she can do both.

Yelin believes her freshman year was valuable as an opportunity to adjust to school and get familiar with college volleyball before being allowed to play. Yastrub had help from her teammates in adjusting, especially from international teammates Mariia Levanova (Russia) and Anastasiya Gorelina (Uzbekistan).

Yastrub said language is the No. 1 difference between Ukraine and the U.S., but the way people interact differs as well.

“Here it’s nice people, they’re always smiling to you,” she said. “In Ukraine, we have nice people but not like in America.”

With Syracuse off to a 5-1 start in conference, the players acknowledged a need to continue improving and have more confidence going forward. Yelin specifically mentioned last Friday’s game against now-No. 8 Pitt, where SU came just two points away from tying up the match 1-1, a critical set that could’ve changed the outcome of the match if SU had won the set instead.

Yastrub has grown comfortable with collegiate volleyball. Now, for SU to make its first NCAA tournament, she’ll need to keep maximizing her time on the court.

“Everyone who increases their presence on the team is helping us,” Yelin said. “Getting deep in the season, we need a lot of people who can step on the floor and help, and she’s one of them.”

Published on October 10, 2018 at 11:05 pm

Contact Eric: estorms@syr.edu