It took just six sets over two matches for Syracuse to come away with two wins in the UConn Invitational tournament on Friday.

The Orange (2-0) kicked off the 2015 season by defeating Rhode Island (1-1) and Hartford (0-2) in the UConn Invitational tournament in West Hartford, Connecticut.

The closest set in the first match was the opening one, as SU narrowly defeated Rhode Island 25-23. The Rams began the set with three consecutive points, but Syracuse won the next five and never fell behind on the scoreboard after that.

The Orange got off to a slow start again in the second set, falling behind 5-1, but quickly evened the score with a four-point streak featuring four total kills from senior outside hitter Silvi Uattara and senior middle blocker Monika Salkute. Uattara and Salkute led the Orange in kills for the match with 14 and 11, respectively.

SU won the second set 25-15, notching three more streaks of three-plus points along the way.

The third set featured more dominance by Syracuse, as the team won seven straight points after losing just one to take a 7-1 lead. After that, the Orange never let the deficit slip to less than three, and it took the final set 25-14.

Apart from her efforts on offense, Uattara also contributed defensively by leading the team in digs (10) and blocks (5, tied for the lead with Salkute).

Senior setter Gosia Wlaszczuk recorded 21 assists while freshman setter Jalissa Trotter added 14 assists of her own. Freshman setter Annie Bozzo also aided the Orange on this front, putting up two assists in just four points played.

Syracuse picked up its second win of the season on Friday night, defeating Hartford in another three-set contest. And this victory was even more dominant, with the Hawks failing to reach twenty points in any set.

Despite playing a relatively back-and-forth first set, the Orange finished it strongly by winning eight of the last nine points to win 25-15. The team’s success continued from there, as it won the first three points of the second set and never lost the lead before taking it 25-17.

Syracuse saved its most impressive score of the day for last, as it lead for most of the third set en route to a 25-12 victory.

Bozzo continued to show promise for the Orange in this match, totaling 13 assists and tying Wlaszczuk for the team lead. She was one half of a dangerous new combination, as she set up Uattara for four kills in the first set alone.

Trotter also maintained her strong first impression by recording eight assists of her own.

Syracuse will continue play against UConn (1-1) on Saturday afternoon in Storrs, Connecticut.

Published on August 29, 2015 at 12:07 am

Contact Kevin: kjpacell@syr.edu