SU Volleyball 5-1 Going Into Weekend Tournament

By Jessica Eley

Junior outside hitter, Silvi Uattara

The SU women's volleyball team is on a four match winning streak and is 5-1 overall heading into its next competition this weekend and
Silva Uattara is a big reason for SU's success.

Uattara, a 6'0' junior outside hitter from Russia is leading the team in kills with 102, 30 more than the next highest player, Monika Salkute.

Uattara said she can't say she's the leader of the team because the leader can only be chosen by the team. She has received all-tournament honors at the last two tournaments for her play.

"I've been talking with Gosia (Wlaszczuk), our setter, a lot and she says she feels pretty confident to set me...I feel like it's a huge responsibility of course and I'm trying to do my best," Uattara said.

This time last year, the Orange volleyball team was 1-5. The team didn't win its fifth match until its last tournament before conference play.

Last weekend's sweep of DePaul, Illinois-Chicago and Chicago State in Chicago followed home wins in the Big Orange Tournament against Delaware State and Niagara two weeks ago. The Orange's one loss was to Temple, by a 3-2 score at the Big Orange Tournament.

Uattara said she credits some of the team's success to bonding activities the players have participated in outside of practice. She said they've had a lot of birthday on the team during the pre-season, so they've done things like going to the movies, shopping together at the mall and going out to dinner.

"We're communicating better, we're treating each other better off the court...it helps us to understand each other's strengths and weaknesses," Uattara said.

Uattara got ready for practice at the Carmelo K. Anthony Center, before making her way with her teammates to the steamy, un-air conditioned gym inside of the Women's Building on SU's campus for their Wednesday practice.

She said at practice they would work on what they've been working on all week...not giving up runs of points. Although the team has played well enough to win its last four contests, Uattara said there still are some weaknesses the team needs to improve on. She said they have they've been playing mini games with their coach. Playing mini games stresses the importance going on runs and stopping the opposing side from going on a run.

That was an issue in the loss to Temple. There were nine lead changes in the fifth and deciding set and the Orange was unable to capitalize on its mini runs.

The fifth set only goes to 15 points unlike the 25 in the other four sets. The team who wins three sets first wins the match. A match is the volleyball term for game.

Uattara attacks the ball against Niagara

"Sometimes we can be leading in a lot of points, lose a lot of points in a row, then we're leading again," Uattara said. "So I think we'll have to improve on this more...we're trying to play short games with coach, so we can actually improve on this stuff."

Uattara knows what the team needs to work on, but she said she also knows that despite her all-conference accolades last year, she can work to become a better player.

"I'm trying to work on defensive and passing skills, because I think that takes mental readiness," Uattara said.

She has improved from finishing sixth on the team in digs her freshman year to third in digs as a sophomore and is leading the team in digs this season. A player collects a dig when the opposing team attacks the ball and the player defending her side of the court doesn't let the ball hit the ground.

Since arriving in America her freshman year from Russia, Uattara also has improved her English.

Voronezh, Russian Federation, where Uattara is from is located in the southwestern region of the country, closest to Ukraine.

"I felt a language barrier my freshman year, " she said."I felt uncomfortable talking and trying to explain things to my teammates and communicating with them at first."

She said she is more confident than ever now. "Right now in my junior year, I've improved in this and it's not a problem to me anymore."

Uattara said she feels being an international player on the team is even more responsibility because she is trying to represent her country well.

The Orange heads next to the Xavier tournament in Cincinnati where it will face the Buckeyes of Ohio State on Friday, Xavier and Ohio University on Saturday.