Orange Come Up Short Against Tar Heels, 3-1

Friday, November 6

Syracuse, NY

7:00 PM

Syracuse University

17-7 (8-5ACC)

North Carolina

14-8 (11-2ACC)

North Carolina

Syracuse

11/6/2015 11:17:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse volleyball team suffered its seventh loss of the season on Friday, falling to ACC powerhouse North Carolina in four sets (19-25, 25-18, 24-26, 21-25) in the Women's Building. The Orange are now 8-5 in conference play and 17-7 on the season.

Senior outside hitters Nicolette Serratore and Silvi Uattara both led the Orange in kills and digs on the evening, tallying 14 kills and 17 digs apiece. Sophomore middle blocker Leah Levert paced Syracuse at the net, racking up a match-high eight blocks while dishing out 13 kills.

Senior setter Gosia Wlaszczuk scored her 13th double-double of the season, posting 48 assists and 10 digs.

The first set started off neck-and-neck, but UNC slowly started to build momentum heading into the middle of the set, going on a 7-1 run to put the Tar Heels up at the 15-11 mark. The Orange proceeded to hang with the Tar Heels, until a service ace by North Carolina and an attack error on Syracuse's end forced an Orange timeout at the 20-16 mark. Syracuse continued to fight post-timeout, but a North Carolina kill and a Syracuse attack error ultimately decided the first set in the Tar Heels' favor, 25-19.

The second set began in similar fashion, with both teams swapping points well into the middle of the set. A 5-1 run produced by the Orange put the home team at an 18-13 advantage, resulting in a North Carolina timeout. The Orange, however, continued to carry the momentum with kills from Uattara and senior Monika Salkute, bringing Syracuse its largest lead of the match, 21-14. After another Carolina timeout, the Orange finished it off with kills from Levert and freshman Santita Ebangwese, as the Orange defeated the Tar Heels, 25-18.

Just like the previous two sets, neither team seemed to be able to take control at the beginning of the third set. Knotted at 10, three attack errors on Syracuse's end put North Carolina at a 13-10 advantage, forcing a Syracuse timeout.

A kill and a subsequent service ace by Salkute brought the Orange within one of the Tar Heels, and a block by Wlaszczuk and Ebangwese evened the score at 14. The teams resumed back and forth play, until a mini-run by UNC but the Tar Heels up by four heading into the final points of the game, 22-18.

The Orange, however, refused to give up, as major kills by Levert, Serratore, and Ebangwese and a service ace by freshman Anastasiya Gorelina brought Syracuse within one, 23-22. A kill by UNC's Taylor Fricano and a subsequent block by the Tar Heels, however, gave North Carolina the 26-24 advantage to take the third set.

UNC kept the momentum going to start the fourth set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead. With the Tar Heels up 14-10, an Orange kill from Levert and three successive Tar Heel unforced errors tied the set up at the 14-point mark. Syracuse kept on rolling with a kill from Uattara and an ace by Serratore to force a UNC timeout with the Orange up by three, 17-14.

Following the timeout, the Tar Heels fired back, going on a 7-2 run to put UNC at a two-point advantage, 21-19. Another kill by Uattara brought Syracuse within reach of the lead, but an offensive outburst at the end from the Tar Heels sealed a 25-21 fourth-set victory for UNC and a 3-1 overall victory.

The Orange are back in action at home on Sunday, Nov. 8, facing NC State at 1 p.m. in the Women's Building. Admission is free.

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