Syracuse Volleyball Splits Home-and-Home Series with Boston College
By Ryan Croke | @ryancroke_
SYRACUSE, N.Y. | Syracuse volleyball (13-7, 5-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) was busy last week.
The Orange had a short turnaround from a loss to then-No. 21 North Carolina (16-3, 9-1 ACC) on Sunday, heading east to face Boston College (15-7, 4-6 ACC) on Wednesday. SU and BC rematched on Friday in Central New York.
Wednesday’s match was a taxing five-set affair. Syracuse faced three different match points in the fourth set, but rallied to take the frame 30-28. That set up the Orange for a 15-12 set win in the fifth frame and their first road win over the Eagles this decade.
“This was all heart,” Syracuse head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said. “This was not great execution at times, but we stuck in it mentally and fought all the way to the end.”
SU libero Rana Yamada tallied 25 digs in that match, the most by an Orange player in four years. Freshman Marie Laurio, typically an outside hitter, found herself on the right side and excelled in the role. Laurio notched her first career double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs, both season-highs.
“We went over this [for] just a couple days in practice for about 20 minutes,” Ganesharatnam said. “She came in and helped us a ton and had a great performance for us.”
Friday’s rematch did not go to plan. SU was swept by BC in its fourth match in just over a week.
Ganesharatnam said the circumstances were the driving force behind his team’s struggles.
“I’m not a big fan of the mid-week matches,” Ganesharatnam said. “I don’t think this performance…was due to a lack of effort or willingness….It was certainly not the team’s fault.”
SU fought hard, but didn’t have the gas to keep up with the dominant BC block. 6-foot-3 Eagles middle blocker Bella Ehrlich tallied nine blocks on the undersized Orange.
The SU defense struggled as well. BC opposite Sequoia Layne had 11 kills on a .409 hitting percentage. The Eagles’ attack was led by outside hitter Audrey Ross, whose 16 kills were a match-high.
Nowhere was the lack of energy more apparent than in the efforts of SU’s outside hitter duo of Gabby McLaughlin and Skylar George. Syracuse’s kill leaders were contained by the Boston College defense, with neither player reaching double-digit kills. McLaughlin’s .023 hitting percentage was a season-low.
“I think the battery was empty,” Ganesharatnam said. “I didn’t even play and I’m exhausted. I can’t imagine how the players feel.”
Life for the Orange came once again from Laurio, who followed up her debut in the right-side position with nine more kills on Friday. The freshman replaced junior Sydnie Waller, who had been one of SU’s most efficient attackers.
“We felt like we needed a little bit more production on the right side,” Ganesharatnam said. “The good thing about Marie is that she’s capable of playing six rotations on the right side. That gives us an additional back-row attacker.”
Ganesharatnam felt the series split exemplifies the level of competition in the ACC.
“We absolutely have to play at our limit,” Ganesharatnam said. “Every time we play in the ACC, if we want to have a chance, absolutely to the limit…Not every team that plays us has to do that.”
Syracuse hits the road for a pair of matches in the Sunshine State. First up is Florida State on Friday at 6:30 p.m. No. 15 Miami hosts SU on Sunday at noon.
For coverage of those matches and the remaining Syracuse volleyball season, follow @ryancroke_ and @CitrusTVSports on Twitter/X.
