Syracuse Competes At Purdue Active Ankle Challenge

PURDUE ACTIVE ANKLE CHALLENGE
Tournament Central
Game Details	Friday, Sept. 20 - vs. No. 21 Purdue - 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 - vs. FIU - 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 - vs. Northern Kentucky - 5 p.m.
Game Coverage	Twitter: @Cuse, @CuseVolleyball
#SUVB Links	Match Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Season Statistics \| Media Guide
Opponent Links	Purdue: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Live Stats \| Audio FIU: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Live Stats Northern Kentucky: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Live Stats \| Match Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse hits the road for the Purdue Active Ankle Challenge where they will meet the nationally ranked No. 21 Boilermakers, along with FIU and Northern Kentucky on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20 and 21 in West Lafayette, Ind. This will be the Orange's final tournament before beginning Atlantic Coast Conference play for the first time.

LAST WEEK:
Syracuse dominated the competition at the Candlewood Suites Challenge with three straight-set victories over Saint Peter's, Delaware State, and Chicago State. In the first ever meeting between Syracuse and St. Peter's, the Orange controlled the tempo from the opening serve, taking the match against the Peacocks 25-5, 25-12, 25-21. The Orange finished the opening night with a victory over Delaware State, while recording a season-best .435 hitting percentage. The second day proved to be another victory for the Orange as they swept Chicago State.

Junior outside hitter Nicolette Serratore was named the tournament MVP while being placed on her second all-tournament team in as many weeks. For the three-game event, Serratore hit at a clip of .345 with 2.89 kills, 2.33 digs and 0.78 blocks per set. Sophomore Gosia Wlaszczuk also earned all-tournament honors with a team-best 2.33 digs per set, while hitting .480 on 15 kills.

During the weekend, sophomore Silvi Uattara averaged 4.00 kills per set with a hitting percentage of .433. Freshman setter Erica Handley dished out 10.2 assists per set and Lindsay McCabe led the team with 1.67 blocks per set.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION:
Purdue: The Boilermakers are currently ranked No. 21 and have won five straight matches coming into the weekend. Kiki Jones, who was named to the USF Invitational all-tournament team last weekend, leads Purdue with a .368 hitting percentage and is second with 59 kills. Redshirt Freshman Faye Adelaja was named the Big Ten Defender and Freshman of the Week for her performance at USF. She leads the team 1.48 blocks per set, which ranks 17th in the nation.

FIU: Last weekend, FIU finished 2-1 at their home invitational which brings them to 5-4 on the season. The Panthers are led by Ksenia Sukhareva with a team-best 117 kills and 3.55 kills per set. Kimberly Smith sits just behind with 3.20 kills per set and leads the team with a .391 hitting percentage.

Northern Kentucky: The Norse started their season with three consecutive losses, but have won four of their last seven matches, including a pair over Navy and Cincinnati in the UC Invitational over the weekend. Taylor Snyder is one of the top players on the team with 10.08 assists per set.

BUILDING BLOCKS:
Lindsay McCabe's 31 total blocks and 27 block assists in 2013 has propelled her into the program's top-10 all-time list for both categories. She sits ninth all-time with 322 career blocks, while McCabe's 273 career block assists are 10th.

SERIES HISTORY:
This weekend will mark the first ever meeting between SU and Northern Kentucky. The Orange is 1-2 all-time against FIU with the Panthers taking the last match in 2008. Syracuse is winless in two tries against the Boilermakers. The last time SU had both FIU and Purdue on their schedule in the same season was in 1993 when the Orange faced off against both teams for the first time.

UP NEXT:
This is the Orange's final tune-up before their first conference games as a member of the ACC. Syracuse will open with No. 16 Florida State on Saturday, Sept. 28 and Miami on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. with both matches taking place in the Carrier Dome. The opener against the Seminoles will also be televised on Time Warner Cable Sports.

Syracuse University Athletics

Syracuse Competes At Purdue Active Ankle Challenge

Related Videos