With set and match tied, Pittsburgh outside hitter Casey Durham spiked the ball toward Syracuse libero Melina Violas. Violas dove, but couldn’t complete the dig.

On the next play, the Panthers’ Amanda Orchard served a long ball toward defensive specialist Belle Sand. Sand reached out her fist and the ball caromed back out of play, and Pitt won the set to take a one-set lead.

“We would like everyone to perform better when (the) game (is) on the line, of course,” SU head coach Leonid Yelin said.

The set win allowed the Panthers (15-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) to close out SU (7-11, 0-6) in the fourth set to win Sunday afternoon’s match, 3-1. Although the Orange was able to hold Pitt to a lower attack percentage than usual, defensive mishaps and an inability to dig routine balls cost Syracuse when it mattered most.

“Our offense was going to be better, hopefully our transition was going to be better,” Yelin said after starting more defensive players than usual. “Trying to get the best out of everyone we have.”

The strategy did not appear to work, as Yelin pulled defensive specialists Sand and Dana Crispi midway through the first set. Pittsburgh dominated the set with a .400 hitting percentage, winning 25-13.

SU came back strong in the second, holding the Panthers to a .206 hitting percentage led by outside hitter Silvi Uattara’s four digs. The Orange would win the set, 25-17.

Uattara led the team in kills and digs for the set and the match, but did not think going out of her way to get digs affected her hitting opportunities.

“I think we have a lot of really good hitters, so every time when I’m digging the ball, I know our setter will make the right decision for who to set,” Uattara said.

Despite her confidence in her teammates, Uattara’s 21 kills for the game accounted for half of the team’s kills. No other player had more than six.

Setter Gosia Wlaszczuk called Uattara’s defense “amazing.”

“It’s really just whoever could come in and help us. It doesn’t really matter who’s there, it doesn’t matter if it’s a defensive specialist or not,” Violas said.

The team’s libero is charged with the primary digging and serve-receiving responsibilities, yet Violas was third on the team in digs.

Midway through the fourth set, with SU down a point, senior Lindsay McCabe hit the ball onto Pitt’s side. Pittsburgh outside hitter Jessica Wynn was perfectly positioned to make an easy dig to libero Delaney Clesen, who set outside hitter Maria Genitsaridi for a hit back to the SU side.

Although Violas dove and got her hands on the ball, she seemed slightly out of position and was unable to complete the dig.

“When you didn’t pull (the game) out, you’re looking back saying, ‘Oh my god, if she had gotten those two balls,’ especially when you (are) behind one or two points in the game,” Yelin said of Violas’ play.

Yelin felt Pittsburgh went after Violas and tired her out by the end of the game, but said she played well nonetheless.

In a game that Yelin was happy with his team’s performance, Pitt seemed to show the Orange what it was supposed to be doing. Players were well positioned to make digs and made their setters’ lives easy. The two Panther setters combined for 43 assists.

Yelin said his team is in a catch-22 situation now.

Said Yelin: “To get mentally stronger, you have to win. To win, you have to get mentally stronger.”

Published on October 12, 2014 at 7:38 pm