Without two of its top outside hitters, Syracuse needed another attacker.

Blockers had intermittently stepped in offensively as head coach Leonid Yelin tinkered with lineups and positions, but one position change made before the season has proved the most fruitful.

After spending the first 12 years of her career as an outside hitter, SU setter Gosia Wlaszczuk transferred her attacking instincts to become the leading Atlantic Coast Conference setter in kills. Wlaszczuk keeps opponents off balance with her attacking prowess, making herself into an additional option on the depleted offensive side.

As the Orange deals with injuries, it will look to Wlaszczuk to continue to stay aggressive Friday night when SU (8-12, 1-7 Atlantic Coast) travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech (9-12, 2-6) at 8:30 p.m.

“When we were converting her to setter we definitely didn’t want to lose what she had as a hitter,” Yelin said.

At the beginning of the season, teams were not aware of her ability to tip and push balls over the net, expecting her to set her teammates. Midway through the conference season, Wlaszczuk’s attacking tendencies are no longer a surprise.

While teams watched tape and studied her, she worked on finding the balance between hitting and setting.

“I feel like I see the balance,” Wlaszczuk said. “Right now, it’s more about moments where it’s appropriate to let myself (hit) because there’s always a chance I will miss.”

Traditionally, a setter has multiple hitters to pass to — on the sides and in the back row.

But with outside hitters Nicolette Serratore and Valeriya Shaipova sidelined with injuries, Wlaszczuk has only one true outside hitter to pass to: junior Silvi Uattara.

“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,” Uattara said.

Wlaszczuk watches more film than any other player on the team, Yelin said, and this allows her to know whether to favor her tendency to hit against specific teams. There is never a “right” situation for the setter to go for the kill, he said. It depends on the opponent’s personnel and the situation in a game.

If she sees an opening in the back corner of the court, Wlaszczuk is probably going for it herself.

“I’m (a) natural hitter so obviously, all I want to do is score,” she said.

When she sees opponents watching her eyes, Wlaszczuk knows she has to cut back. The self-proclaimed trickster will wait a few points, allowing the defense to relax and follow her sets.

Then she goes for the kill.

“When the pass is good, they don’t know who she’s going to set, when she’s going to set,” Yelin said. “She’s running this team, no question.”

Early in the season, Yelin often thought Wlaszczuk was too aggressive, looking away in disgust whenever the setter missed a hit that she didn’t need to take. Now that she’s found the balance, she might be too timid.

Last weekend against Louisville, Wlaszczuk went without a kill despite eight opportunities — tallying two attack errors in an Orange loss.

At the end of the second set, Wlaszczuk stormed off the court while her teammates huddled, visibly upset after setting the ball for Monika Salkute and watching it drop right back down to the floor.

Yelin talked with his setter after the game, reminding her to stay aggressive and not shy away from taking the game into her own hands.

Said Yelin: “I said, ‘Gosia, you know your personality, hate to lose … but when the game was on the line, 24-21, you didn’t do even one thing.’”

Published on October 23, 2014 at 12:05 am