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A year ago, Syracuse women’s volleyball had its worst season in program history, winning just two games and losing all 18 Atlantic Coast Conference matches. Currently, SU is riding an 18-match losing streak.

Heading into his third season as SU’s head coach, Bakeer Ganesharatnam’s record is 13-43 and he has won only seven conference matchups.

“With good reason, many people might not believe in this program, but as long as the players and coaches all buy in, we can do what we want this year,” Syracuse outside hitter Ava Palm said during media availability Sunday.

Ganesharatnam asked for patience last season, explaining that the Orange couldn’t reach top caliber in just a few months. Now, Ganesharatnam has new pieces to help implement his vision for the program.

“I think the squad is very talented. We have a really good balance of youth and experience,” Ganesharatnam said Monday. “That’s the biggest difference from last year to this year. We’re very optimistic that we can compete at a much higher level than we did last season.”

Here’s everything you need to know before SU volleyball’s 2024 season kicks off versus New Jersey Institute of Technology Friday:

Added depth

A primary reason for Syracuse’s poor campaign last year was injuries, specifically to its outside hitters. Ariana Joubert only appeared in eight matches, registering 43 kills. Cherlin Antonio missed 11 matches and totaled 156 kills before sustaining a knee injury.

Raina Hughes and Laila Smith also missed time, forcing freshman Greta Schlichter to switch from libero to outside hitter. At one point, Schlichter was one of just 13 players on the roster.

“I think half, if not more than half, of the team played out of the position,” Ganesharatnam said. “It was very difficult to establish structure or style.”

This season, just six of the 18 players from SU’s 2023 squad return. Joubert, Hughes and Antonio all transferred, while Smith was forced to retire due to concussions. Two of Syracuse’s three captains for the 2024 season are graduate transfers, who are set to play a major role.

“I met with the girls during my recruiting visit and they were super set about what they wanted to accomplish this season,” said Palm, a graduate transfer from CSU Bakersfield. “Overall, I am excited to help build up a program again.”

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Sophomore jump

Because of SU’s injury trouble, its freshmen core was forced to step into a much bigger role. Zharia Harris-Waddy, Veronica Sierzant, Schlichter and Mira Ledermueller all played at least 25 games last year.

Harris-Waddy had a team-best 29 service aces and 58 blocks, while Sierzant totaled 202 assists and 123 kills. Schlichter earned a .946 receive rate and tallied 101 kills as an outside hitter, while Ledemuller led the team with 449 assists.

“Our head coach talked to me about redshirting last year, but obviously, that couldn’t happen because many people were not playing,” Sierzant said. “I was just shocked. I’m grateful for the experience, but I don’t want to go through that again.”

With the groundwork laid down for Ganesharatnam’s team, Harris-Waddy, Sierzant, Schlichter and Ledermueller are bound for a sophomore jump.

Schedule breakdown

Syracuse competes in four nonconference tournaments before beginning ACC play this season. The Orange will co-host the Salt City Classic with Le Moyne from Aug. 30-31 and host the Syracuse Invitational on the weekend of Sept. 19. SU also travels to Columbia and Siena for weekend tournaments.

“The nonconference schedule is very important for us because they are a part of our record,” Ganesharatnam said. “It really gives us an opportunity to come up with a rotation that’s used to each other and have good chemistry together.”

In ACC competition, SU faces five of the top-10 teams from the ACC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll at home, highlighted by No. 1 Pittsburgh on Oct. 6. Syracuse scored 17 points in the poll and was ranked last — 20 points behind No. 17 Virginia Tech and 268 points behind No. 1 Pitt.

Published on August 27, 2024 at 10:56 pm

Contact Quinn: qdpostma@syr.edu