Uattara Records Kill 1,000 In 3-1 Loss To Miami

Friday, October 10

Syracuse, NY

7 pm

Syracuse University

7-10, 0-5ACC

Miami

10-6, 3-2ACC

Miami

Syracuse

10/11/2014 12:45:00 AM | Volleyball

Box Score

Silvi Uattara reaches the 1,000 kill milestone with her team leading 21 kills in the match

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The first ACC showdown in the Women's Building did not disappoint as it was another very hard fought match by both parties with SU coming out on the losing end, 3-1 (25-22, 24-26, 16-25, 25-21).

The Orange (7-10, 0-5 ACC) is in the midst of a five-game skid heading into its match Sunday against Pittsburgh while Miami (10-6, 3-2 ACC) bounced back from its five set loss to then No. 5 Florida State.

How It Happened

The Orange came out swinging in the first set, catching Miami by surprise with a 5-0 burst to begin the match. The run was fueled by two service aces by Monika Salkute and a block and a kill by Lindsay McCabe.

Miami quickly retaliated, tying the set with a 5-0 run of its own but three straight errors shifted the momentum back to SU's favor, resulting in another 5-0 surge. The Orange maintained a six-point lead until the Hurricanes began their push for a comeback with the score at 19-13 and four straight points fell in their favor to pull within two. Savannah Leaf won two of the next three points threatening the 'Cuse lead, 20-19.

The Hurricanes never managed to pull ahead and only tied the score up once very early on in the set. Gosia Wlaszczuk and Silvi Uattara teamed up to put the 'Canes away as Wlaszczuk recorded a kill and proceeded to find Uattara for two more kills to win the set.

After a 5-5 score in the second, neither team could manage to gain control of the set as they traded blows, never leading by more than three the rest of the way. The set was tied 10 times and there were four lead changes. The Orange had momentum and confidence after a kill by Uattara tied the score at 24 the 'Canes were forced to call a time out. Following the break, it was Leaf with a kill to give Miami some life and the lead. Uattara attempted to tie the set at 25 but was denied by Sakile Simmons and Kelsie Groot, giving Miami the set, 26-24.

With a 10-6 lead in favor of Miami, SU was in a position where it needed a run of its own to keep the 'Canes within striking range. However, a quick 3-0 run to give Miami a seven point lead ended up being the difference in the third set as 'Cuse could never recover. Syracuse fell in the third, 25-16 and was simply out-hit. Miami hit .382 in the frame and held the Orange to hitting just .139.

The fourth set began just how the match had been played out. Similar to the second, the set was tied 10 times but there was only one lead change. Miami would break out to a quick, comfortable lead but SU always found a way to tie the match until the score was knotted up at 21 with a kill by Uattara.

Syracuse couldn't capitalize after tying the match as two errors and a kill by Miami's Groot presented the Orange with match point. SU's bid was denied in the end with Simmons and Leaf blocking Salkute's attack, dishing 'Cuse the 25-21 loss in the stanza to take the match.

In The Eye Of The Hurricane

For the first time this season, Miami's block to end the game gave the 'Canes their ninth of the night, to out-block the Orange 9-8. The story of Miami's success wasn't in its defense however, it was the same story for the Hurricanes all season long. Its high octane offense was the difference.

After her 30 kill performance against FSU less than a week ago, Leaf recorded a match high 25 kills on 58 attempts. She was joined by Taylor Scott, who had 13 kills in the match and Groot, who was credited with 12 in 24 tries on the night. Haley Templeton is who fuels the offense from the setter position. Out of the 57 kills recorded by the Hurricanes, Templeton was responsible for setting up 53 of them.

The Hurricanes out-hit Syracuse in every frame, with their top two sets coming in the second and third in which they swung .275 and .382 respectively.

'Cuse By The Numbers

Uattara's eighth kill of the night was the 1,000^th kill she recorded in her time at SU. The milestone qualifies her for SU's all-time kills per set list and as it stands now, she currently is third all-time. Her 3.59 kills per set average is not far behind 1990's standouts Dana Flume (Syracuse University's all-time kills leader) and SU's all-time kills per set leader, Jennifer Murphy (3.67).

Her 21 kills in the match to gives Uattara 1,013 in her career to position her just 166 kills away from 10^th all-time and 685 kills away from Flume's record.

McCabe was dominant for the Orange, hitting .400 with seven kills on 15 attempts with one error. She also recorded six blocks on the night, two of which were solo. The two solos gives her control of sixth on Syracuse's all-time list and she is 21 away from fifth.

Stacey Smith was next in the 'Cuse box score with four kills against the 'Canes with a block and an ace. Following Smith, three members of the Orange were tied with three kills each. (Wlaszczuk, Salkute and Shaipova)

Melina Violas earned the start at libero but she shared the back row at times primarily with Belle Sand. Violas recorded 16 digs while Sand had 12 of her own. Uattara also played well defensively with 13 digs and two block assists.

The Challenges Keep Coming

On Sunday at 1:00 PM in the Women's Building, Syracuse won't get a break as they will face another very tough ACC opponent. Pittsburgh (13-2, 1-1 ACC) is vying for a spot in the AVCA Top-25 poll.

The Panthers in the top five of every major stat category in the ACC with their only ranking below third is in blocks per set. Five different players rank in the conference's top 10 of the major stat categories and two of them are ranked in two categories. Read the full report on Pittsburgh here.