Orange Outlasted by Hokies, 3-1

Friday, November 20

Blacksburg, VA

8:00 PM

Syracuse University

20-8, 11-6ACC

Virginia Tech

16-13, 7-10ACC

Syracuse

Virginia Tech

11/20/2015 10:47:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Syracuse volleyball team suffered a four-set loss (24-26, 25-15, 28-30, 22-25) to Virginia Tech on Friday night at Cassell Coliseum. The Orange are now 11-6 in the ACC and 20-8 on the season.

Senior outside hitter Silvi Uattara led the Orange in the front row and back row, finishing the night with 17 kills and 14 digs. Senior outside hitter Nicolette Serratore added 14 kills and 13 digs. Freshman Santita Ebangwese paced the Syracuse defense at the net posting a match-high five blocks, while sophomore Leah Levert supplied four blocks and 10 kills.

Senior setter Gosia Wlaszczuk dished out 43 assists while accumulating five kills and eight digs.

The Orange jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks in part to two kills by Uattara. Despite the initial lead, Virginia Tech found its way back and the two teams began to swap points. Back-to-back attack errors on the Hokies' end put the Orange up 15-11, but Virginia Tech continued to fight from behind, knotting it up at the 17-point mark. A kill by Tech's Lindsey Owens brought the Hokies its first lead of the game, forcing a Syracuse timeout.

Following the timeout, the squads proceeded to battle back and forth, with a Hokie unforced error bringing the Orange a one-point advantage, 22-21, triggering a Virginia Tech timeout. The Hokies won the next two points resulting in another timeout on Syracuse's end. Knotting it up one last time at 24, two Syracuse unforced errors ultimately decided the set in Virginia Tech's favor, 26-24.

The Orange and the Hokies proceeded to trade points to begin the second set, before a four-point run by Syracuse forced a Virginia Tech timeout at the 11-6 mark. The Hokies attempted a comeback, but a kill by Uattara and a service ace by Wlaszczuk capped a 16-10 lead for the Orange, resulting in another Tech timeout.

Syracuse continued to surge after the timeout, remaining on a 7-1 run to put the Orange at a comfortable lead heading into the final points of the set, 20-11. The Orange allowed the Hokies a few more points, but a kill by Serratore sealed a 25-15 victory in the second set.

The two teams resumed the back and forth play well into the middle of the third set, with neither team being able to take control of the lead. Knotted at the 17-point mark, subsequent Virginia Tech kills put the Hokies up 19-17, resulting in a Syracuse timeout.

The Orange and the Hokies continued to battle for every point heading into extra points, tying it up 10 more times before a kill and a block on Virginia Tech's end finalized a 30-28 victory for the Hokies to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.

With neither team letting up, the Orange and the Hokies swapped points to begin the fourth set. Virginia Tech jumped out to a 15-11 lead, but Syracuse came bouncing back, evening the score at the 19-point mark thanks to a kill by Levert and a Virginia Tech attack error.

A burst by the Hokies at the end, however, proved to be the final determinant in the outcome, as Virginia Tech outscored Syracuse 4-1 to take a 25-22 victory and 3-1 overall win.

Syracuse heads to Pittsburgh in its final road game of the season, taking on the Panthers at Fitzgerald Field House at 1 p.m.

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