Sunday was an emotional day for seniors Zoe Guzman, Samantha Hinz and Laura Homann.

Not only was it the last time they would represent the Orange on the court, but their careers were capped by a come-from-behind win over Seton Hall in the Carrier Dome in front of 357 fans.

Syracuse finishes its first season under head coach Leonid Yelin at 12-18 overall and 4-11 in the Big East. The Orange’s most impressive win came on Sunday, when it fought back to win after a 2-0 deficit.

“Our defense was good because of the blocking,” Yelin said.

Tied at 15 in the first set, the Pirates scored five of the next six points to take a 20-16 lead, prompting Yelin to call timeout to regroup his team. Seton Hall came out of the timeout with another 5-1 run to win the first set 25-17.

The Pirates jumped out to 12-6 in the second set, and Yelin again called a timeout. Syracuse struggled out of its timeouts in the first set, but came out strong on a 5-1 run after its first break in the second set.

SU’s run out of the first timeout was helped by a Seton Hall forward touch violation and kills from outside hitters Silvi Uattara and Nicolette Serratore. Leading 12-9, the Pirates added a point after a Serratore service error. Syracuse tacked on two more with a kill by middle blocker Monika Salkute and an attack error by Seton Hall’s Molly Grammer.

Seton Hall cruised from there. Trailing 20-17, Yelin called timeout hoping to stop the bleeding. It didn’t work. Seton Hall came out on a 3-0 run due to sloppy play from Syracuse. The Pirates went on to finish the set 25-21, one set away from finishing Syracuse’s season and the careers of Guzman, Hinz and Homann on a sour note.

The third set was looking like it was going to once again be all Seton Hall. The Pirates led 9-3, but suddenly something clicked for the Orange. Syracuse went on a 9-2 run, forcing Seton Hall to call a timeout. Leading 12-11, SU extended its lead to 14-11 coming out of the timeout.

But Seton Hall battled back to take a 22-20. The Orange finished on a 5-1 run to win the third set 25-23.

“I think we just stopped thinking so much about it, stopped freaking out about it, and we decided we were just going to go out and play for each other and for our seniors,” Serratore said.

In the early stages of the fourth set, the fans in attendance started to become increasingly vocal. Syracuse started with an 8-3 lead, including three kills from Uattara and two blocks from Hinz.

Tied at 25, Syracuse needed two more points to force a fifth set. After kills from outside hitter Gosia Wlaszczuk and Hinz, the Orange won the fourth set 27-25 and Syracuse stayed alive.

The fifth set was highlighted by Uattara, who chipped in four kills and three blocks. A kill by Serratore gave the Orange a 15-14 lead. The next point was decided on a Seton Hall net violation, giving Syracuse the fifth set 16-14, and the match comeback win 3-2.

Syracuse ended up with an advantage over Seton Hall in kills. Uattara had 22 of Syracuse’s 64 kills, while Serratore had 13, Wlaszczuk had 14 and Salkute contributed 10.

“We weren’t playing well in the first two sets,” Uattara said. “Then we felt the excitement and caught on.”

Guzman exited her Syracuse career on a high note with 31 digs. Serratore added 22 and Wlaszczuk had 14.

However, players say they wanted to win this game for their seniors.

Shortly following the game, Serratore appeared emotional, with red, teary eyes. However, these emotions were joyful.

“It was definitely special,” she said. “It was our second chance to get a win in the Dome and for our seniors to go out in such a historic place. We were playing for them and for each other.”

Published on November 11, 2012 at 11:40 pm

Contact Austin: arpollac@syr.edu