Salkute Fuels Orange Offense in Five-Set Win

Friday, October 30

Syracuse, NY

7:00 PM

Syracuse University

16-6 (7-4ACC)

Georgia Tech

14-9 (5-6ACC)

Georgia Tech

Syracuse

10/30/2015 10:54:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse volleyball team picked up its seventh ACC win of the season, defeating Georgia Tech in a five-set battle (25-27, 25-19, 25-16, 24-26, 16-14) on Friday in the Women's Building. The Orange are now 16-6 on the season and 7-4 in ACC play, while remaining undefeated in matches played to five sets (5-0).

Senior outside hitter Monika Salkute dished out a career-high 24 kills in the victory, while adding 10 digs and five blocks to her tally. Senior outside hitter Nicolette Serratore notched her 10th double-double of the season, racking up 13 kills and 17 digs on the evening.

Setter Gosia Wlaszczuk powered the Orange hitters in the win, totaling 50 assists while adding eight kills of her own. The senior also tallied 14 digs, marking her 11th double-double of the season and just two kills shy of a triple-double.

Sophomore libero Belle Sand led the Syracuse back row on the night, amassing 21 digs. Sophomore Leah Levert and freshman Santita Ebangwese led the Orange defense at the net, producing eight and six total blocks, respectively.

The match started off in seesaw fashion, as neither teams were able to separate themselves from one another. After falling behind 12-10, a five-point run powered by a kill from Ebangwese gave the Orange its largest lead of the set. Georgia Tech battled back, erasing the deficit by rallying off three straight points to tie it up at 15. Back and forth action kept the two teams knotted until a 3-0 run from the Orange allowed Syracuse to gain a 23-21 lead. The Yellow Jackets, however, bounced back in the final points, going on a 6-2 run to take the first set 27-25.

The Orange came out firing right off the bat in the second set, as three kills from Salkute propelled Syracuse to a 6-2 lead, forcing a Georgia Tech timeout.

The Orange continued to rally following the timeout, extending the lead 13-6 behind two more kills from Salkute and a subsequent block assist by Salkute and Levert. Three straight from Georgia Tech narrowed the Orange lead to four, but Syracuse quickly responded, pushing the score 18-11.

Taking eight of the next ten points, the Yellow Jackets once again fought their way back into the set, pulling within two and forcing a Syracuse timeout at the 20-18 mark. The timeout proved beneficial, as the Orange went on a 5-1 run, finishing the set with back-to-back kills from Salkute to seal a 25-19 Syracuse victory.

Two more kills from Salkute and two block assists by Ebangwese started the Orange off with a 7-2 lead in the third set. A 3-0 run from Georgia Tech briefly slowed down the Orange, but Syracuse answered going on a 7-2 run to keep the lead intact and force a Yellow Jacket timeout at the 14-7 mark.

Taking four of the next five points out of the timeout, Syracuse pushed out to an 18-8 lead. After trading a few points at the 21-11 mark, the Yellow Jackets rallied off three straight points, forcing an Orange timeout.

A kill from Serratore extended the Orange lead back to eight out of the timeout, while another kill by Salkute brought Syracuse within two points of the win, 23-14. Another kill by Serratore and a Georgia Tech service error capped off a 25-16 Orange victory in the third set.

Unwilling to drop three straight sets, the Yellow Jackets started the fourth set on a 4-1 run. However, balanced attacking from Syracuse's end featuring kills from Ebangwese, Levert, and Serratore knotted the set at five. Back-and-forth play prevented either team from running away with the lead, with the two teams tying it up again at the 15-point mark.

A three-point streak from the Orange opened up an 18-15 lead, forcing a Yellow Jacket timeout. However, Georgia Tech stormed back to tie the set at 18 and eventually take a 20-19 lead, resulting in a Syracuse timeout. Kills from Salkute and Serratore drove the Orange to a 5-1 run, bringing them within set point. Nevertheless, the Yellow Jackets rallied off five straight points, stealing the set from the Orange 27-25 to force a fifth set.

Like clockwork, a kill from Salkute started off the fifth set, as Syracuse jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Resilient play from the Yellow Jackets, however, brought Georgia Tech back into contention of the lead, tying the game at the nine-point mark. Back-to-back kills by Serratore and Levert put the Orange at an 11-9 advantage, forcing a Georgia Tech timeout.

Following the timeout, the Yellow Jackets began on a 4-1 run to steal the lead 13-12, forcing an Orange timeout. Subsequent kills by Salkute and freshman Anastasiya Gorelina put Syracuse up by one, 14-13. A kill by Georgia Tech knotted it one last time at 14, but a final kill by Salkute and a block by Ebangwese and Gorelina sealed a 16-14 victory for the Orange and a 3-2 overall win.

The Orange continue home action on Sunday, facing Clemson at 12:30 p.m. at the Women's Building. Admission is free.

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