Orange Slighted by Hurricanes in Three

Sunday, October 25

Coral Gables, FL

1:00 PM

Syracuse University

15-6, 6-4ACC

Miami

14-6, 7-3ACC

Syracuse

Miami

10/25/2015 4:05:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - The Syracuse volleyball team fell to ACC foe Miami in three sets on Sunday at the James L. Knight Sports Complex in Coral Gables, Fla. The loss marks the Orange's fourth ACC loss and sixth overall loss of the season. Syracuse is now 15-6 overall and 6-4 in ACC play.

After dropping the first set 25-17, the Orange tested the Hurricanes to extra points in the second set, but it wasn't enough as Miami came out on top 26-24. The 'Canes then proceeded to take the third and final set, 25-17.

Senior outside hitters Monika Salkute and Silvi Uattara led the Syracuse offense with 10 and nine kills on the afternoon, respectively, with Salkute also added nine digs. Senior setter Gosia Wlaszczuk assisted on 25 of the Orange's 34 total kills while contributing six digs.

Sophomore libero Belle Sand led the Orange defense with 11 digs, while freshman Santita Ebangwese led the defense at the net with two solo blocks.

The Orange started off the first set doing what they do best with a block by Salkute and sophomore Leah Levert. A subsequent kill by Salkute and a Miami unforced error put Syracuse at a 3-0 advantage. Miami, however, proceeded to knot the game at the six-point mark, while an ensuing service ace by the Hurricanes brought Miami its first lead of the game. Another ace by Miami and a Syracuse attack error extended the Hurricane lead, 11-7, forcing an Orange timeout.

After the timeout, Miami tallied another ace, marking its fourth service ace of the game at the 14-7 mark. The Hurricanes continued to build momentum heading into the second half of the set, posting an 18-9 advantage and imposing another Orange timeout.

Syracuse began on a mini-run following the timeout, cutting the Miami lead down to seven at the 22-15 mark. A kill by freshman Anastasiya Gorelina was the last hope for an Orange comeback with Miami at game point, yet a subsequent kill by Miami capped a Hurricane victory in the first set, 25-17.

The second set began with back and forth play between the Orange and the Hurricanes, with neither team able to grasp the lead by more than two points. Leveling the score out at the 11-point mark, back-to-back blocks by the Orange resulted in a Hurricane timeout, 13-11.

Proceeding the timeout, two unforced errors committed by Miami and a kill by Salkute boosted the Syracuse momentum, putting them at its largest lead of the match, 16-11. A 6-1 run by the Hurricanes, however, slowed the momentum for the Orange, as Miami evened out the score at 17. The two squads then resumed the back and forth play heading into the final points of the set.

Kills by Salkute and Ebangwese tied it up at the 23 and 24-point marks, respectively, but a kill by Miami's Taylor Scott and a Syracuse error lifted the Hurricanes past the Orange, 26-24.

The Hurricanes jumped out to a 6-1 lead to begin the third set, but the Orange quickly responded, cutting the Miami lead down to three with an ace by Salkute, 7-4. A kill by Uattara brought the Orange within reach of the lead again at the 9-6 mark, but two kills by Miami and a Syracuse error helped initiate a steady Hurricane lead. A 19-11 Miami lead, however, didn't slow the Orange down, as a kill by Ebangwese and an ace by Uattara brought Syracuse within six, 19-13, resulting in a Hurricane timeout.

Following the timeout, two Miami errors and a kill by Gorelina kept the Orange within contention for the lead, 21-16. The Hurricanes, however, stepped it up offensively in the final points of the match, as a kill by Alexis Mourning and consecutive kills by Scott sealed a 25-17 win for Miami in the closing set.

The Orange are back on the home court for the next two weeks, first taking on Georgia Tech this Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Women's Building. The Orange then face Clemson for the second time this season on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 12:30 p.m. Both games are free admission.

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