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In March 2022, Anastasiia Nikolnikova’s native country, Ukraine, was invaded by Russia. She and her mother, Hanna, were forced to move to Bad Neustadt an der Saale — a town in Germany. Her father, Luke, stayed in Ukraine to volunteer for the country’s homeland defense. Today, members of Nikolnikova’s family still live in Kyiv with the war ongoing.

Two months before fleeing Ukraine, Nikolnikova attended an Oregon State volleyball camp in Amsterdam run by former Beavers head coach Mark Barnard. The camp provided Nikolnikova with a chance to play college volleyball in the United States, something she previously saw as “unreachable.”

“A lot of stuff happened I didn’t even plan on,” Nikolnikova said. “I didn’t expect it. Boom, opportunity. Take it or not take it.”

At the camp, Nikolnikova impressed Barnard with her physical capabilities. So, he referred her to Jim Cartisser from the College of Southern Idaho at the junior college level. Nikolnikova excelled and earned a spot on the 2023 NJCAA First Team All-American team. After two years at CSI, she transferred to Division I with Syracuse this season.

SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam saw Nikolnikova as a physically skilled middle blocker who’d be a great addition to the team. During the 2024 season, Nikolnikova proved Ganesharatnam right. She played in 28 of SU’s 32 matches, ranking third on the team in kills (141) and first in total blocks (99). She also led SU in hitting percentage (.326).

Without Barnard’s referral, though, Nikolnikova’s journey could have been stopped short.

“I have wanted to play volleyball professionally since I started because I just love volleyball, and at this point, I cannot even imagine my life without it,” Nikolnikova said.

Barnard immediately saw Nikolnikova’s potential at the camp. Nikolnikova asked questions and was keen to learn from a D-I coach. According to Barnard, she was the strongest middle blocker at the camp and demonstrated the necessary drive to play in the U.S.

But he didn’t have any scholarships left for Nikolnikova.

He pointed her toward an alternative route, junior college. Barnard called his friend Cartisser at Southern Idaho, believing he could unlock Nikolnikova’s potential.

“I have a lot of respect for Jim and what he had at the College of Southern Idaho,” Barnard said. “So I said to him, ‘I think this girl could be very helpful to you. In turn, you could help her by giving her a couple of years in a good junior college and then getting her to a four-year college after that.’”

According to Barnard, when Nikolnikova was at the camp in the Netherlands, she spoke English fluently. For the first few months in Idaho, she needed a translator, but she was surrounded by other international students on the team who spoke English better.

She told herself, “They could do it. Why couldn’t I?”

Nikolnikova’s volleyball skills were also rusty when she arrived. Due to few opportunities to play organized volleyball in Germany, Nikolnikova had played sparingly since Barnard first watched her.

As a freshman, Nikolnikova struggled living alone in a new country. She still hasn’t seen her mother since moving to the U.S. She often cried into her pillow at night during her first year in Idaho, feeling detached from the situation at home.

Yet, she knows moving to the U.S. to pursue volleyball was the right choice.

“I had two options: staying in Europe or coming (to the U.S.) and playing. It’s not like I had any other options,” Nikolnikova said.

In her first year with the Golden Eagles, Nikolnikova registered 68 kills and 38 total blocks, but they missed the NJCAA Tournament. Cartisser knew Nikolnikova had to take the next step.

“We gave her training and the opportunity to be in a program and a great conference,” Cartisser said. “She’s a tough kid in the traditional sense and tough in the fact that she has been through some pretty nasty things in her life. The opportunity to play volleyball to her probably means a lot more to her than it would to a lot of other people.”

The following season, Nikolnikova’s 194 kills and 83 total blocks led Southern Idaho to a 25-8 record and an NJCAA National Championship berth. She also finished second in the nation in hitting percentage (.395) and in the top 20 in blocks per set (1.10), earning her the 2023 Region 18 Player of the Year award.

“She was the kid Mark saw and knew would be a Power Four kid and the same kid (Ganesharatnam) knew he needed at Syracuse when he saw her,” Cartisser said.

The JUCO program allowed Nikolnikova to meet Power Four academic and athletic requirements. After a phenomenal year, she began looking for opportunities. But Nikolnikova only needed one visit to decide.

When considering Syracuse, Nikolnikova talked to former SU volleyball player Viktoriia Lokhmanchuk. Lokhmanchuk, who’s from Zaporizhia, Ukraine, spoke highly about SU’s program, convincing Nikolnikova to join the Orange.

“The rebuilding program sounded really fun to me because I wanted to be a part of something new, something great,” Nikolnikova said.

Published on December 3, 2024 at 9:51 pm

Contact Quinn: qdpostma@syr.edu