A big effort from outside hitter Silvi Uattara powered Syracuse (21-8, 12-6 Atlantic Coast) past Pittsburgh (23-7, 12-6) in a four-set 3-1 victory on Sunday.

Uattara dominated the frontcourt, slamming home 26 kills with a team-leading .386 hitting percentage. The senior hitter was a leader on the defensive side of the ball as well, racking up seven blocks.

Uattara’s biggest kills came late during the fourth set tiebreak, when she was set in two pivotal situations.

First, Uattara killed to even the score at 25 after a 3-0 Pitt run put the Orange in danger of facing a fifth set. Then, the Orange looked to Uattara again on match point, when the senior drove home another kill to win the decisive set 28-26.

Nicolette Serratore, flanked by Uattara on the front line, was also pivotal for the Orange. The outside hitter tallied 13 kills, good for second most on the team, along with 15 digs and an ace in a well-rounded performance.

The win moves the Orange into a three-way tie for fifth place with Pitt and Miami in the ACC standings, and avenges the 3-1 defeat that the Orange suffered versus the Panthers earlier in the season.

The victory on Sunday was the last of 13 road games that Syracuse played over the course of the regular season, and the team finished with a 10-4 mark as the visitors.

Syracuse will finish up the remainder of its season with a two-game home stand in the upcoming week, starting with a contest against Notre Dame on Wednesday night.   

Published on November 22, 2015 at 4:33 pm

Contact Chris: cplucey@syr.edu