A string of injuries initially forced Syracuse head coach Leonid Yelin to shuffle his lineup. But after the Orange repeatedly failed to meet his expectations, Yelin shifted his players around again.

In the team’s match against Notre Dame on Sept. 30, Yelin decided to start 5-foot-10-inch outside hitter Nicolette Serratore at libero, a defensive position typically played by some of the shortest athletes.

Serratore responded by posting a game-high 12 digs in the loss.

“For being her first time at the position she was surprisingly comfortable,” Syracuse assistant coach Stephanie Cantway said. “She was very vocal and a good leader.”

Serratore, a sophomore, came into her new role with little experience at the position. She has been trying to find a comfort zone, but success hasn’t come as easily since the match against Notre Dame. Although Serratore has been stellar at times at libero, adjusting to the position has been an up-and-down process.

“Defense and serve-receive is challenging,” Serratore said. “It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been a lot of fun.”

Serratore tallied a career-high 13 digs in a 3-2 win against South Florida last Friday.

She made spectacular diving plays in Syracuse’s 3-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday, but she also botched easy plays.

A routine dig off her hands in the second set went flying over the heads of Syracuse’s back row, leaving the Orange scrambling to get the ball over the net instead of setting up an attack. Yelin started senior Zoe Guzman at libero in the third set of the match due to Serratore’s inconsistent play.

Yelin stressed Serratore’s ability to be effective at the position is about her focus and confidence. He said she has the physical skills to play like she did at Notre Dame all the time.

“She’s 5 (feet) 10 (inches), she has so much size and quickness, and she can cover so much of the floor,” Yelin said. “If she stays in a good mental state, we will be in good shape for the rest of the season.”

Serratore has worked to refine the intricacies of her game, dedicating extra time in practice to receiving serves and passing.

“I’m just trying to take in everything that the coaches are telling me to work on,” Serratore said. “I’ve been trying to get the most out of every practice to try and get the position down.”

Serratore didn’t play the position up to Yelin’s expectations against Pitt, but he’s going to stick with the experiment, and the team is hoping it can rely on her defensive presence for the rest of the season.

“We’re all hoping she’ll keep playing the way she played against Notre Dame,” Yelin said. “Even if it’s close, we’re going to be more than happy.”

Published on October 9, 2012 at 12:02 am

Contact Jacob: jspramuk@syr.edu