Recapping a 3-0 Opening Weekend for Syracuse Volleyball
By Ryan Croke | @ryancroke_
It’s hard to imagine a better opening weekend for Syracuse Volleyball (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) than the one it just wrapped up.
The Orange went a perfect 3-0 in the Salt City Classic for a second straight season. In 2024, the event was a launching point for SU en route to a 12-0 non-conference record. A similar run this season is certainly possible.
It started on Friday, when Syracuse defeated Niagara (0-2, 0-0 MAAC) in straight sets. The Purple Eagles were outmatched from start to finish, as the Orange displayed tangible chemistry despite featuring 10 newcomers on the roster.
“I thought this team did a really good job throughout the week from [last week’s exhibition loss to Buffalo] leading up to tonight’s match, learning from those mistakes, acknowledging those mistakes, but also building, and actively working towards improvement,” said Syracuse head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam after the win.
“You can’t do that if you don’t already have chemistry within the group, and if you don’t have a certain bond or trust within that group, so those are really good signs,” he added.
Saturday’s match with Rider saw SU drop its only set of the weekend in a hard-fought contest. The Orange won in four sets, but the Broncs were always close behind—Rider scored over 20 points in all four frames.
The Broncs frontcourt proved challenging for the Orange. SU overcame the adversity largely thanks to the play of middle blocker Zharia Harris-Waddy, who registered a team-high seven block assists.
“I’m hungry all the time to get a kill, get a block—assist even, dig—but just being on all my Ps and Qs about everything every point,” said the junior following the victory.
Harris-Waddy and fellow middle blocker Soana Lea’ea received all-tournament honors for their stellar play in the frontcourt.
Sunday’s match with Le Moyne proved to be the easiest of the three for the ’Cuse, who won in straight sets. The Dolphins were held beneath 10 points in two of three frames.
Ganesharatnam had talked about rhythm following the Niagara and Rider wins, emphasizing the need to find it. SU’s head man felt his group found it against its cross-town rival.
The engine of SU’s success this weekend was outside hitter Gabby McLaughlin, who recorded a double-double in kills and digs in all three matches. The Nevada transfer was named Salt City Classic MVP for her efforts.
McLaughlin registered 61 total attacks in Saturday’s match with Rider, prompting Ganesharatnam to say that such a stat line was not sustainable. The senior took a season-low 24 attempts the next day against Le Moyne and notched a .417 hitting percentage.
A significant storyline of the weekend was the play of Skylar George. One of SU’s top outside hitters in 2024 was reduced to a bench role in the first two matches of the weekend but made the most of her limited playing time.
George recorded six kills and was pivotal in the match-sealing fourth set against Rider. Against Le Moyne, the Houston native made her first start of the season and did not disappoint. George finished the match with nine kills and ten digs and led the team in total attacks.
“She…produced…coming off the bench for us, so it was just a matter of time for her to be in this position,” said Ganesharatnam.
Syracuse makes its first road trip of the season to play in the UAlbany invitational this upcoming weekend. The Orange battle the Great Danes on Thursday at 6:00 before meeting Canisius on Friday and Cornell on Saturday.
To get coverage of weekend two of Syracuse’s season, follow @ryancroke_ and @CitrusTVSports on X/Twitter.
