Syracuse Volleyball Losing Steam After Strong Start

By Ryan Croke | @ryancroke_ 

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse volleyball (13-11, 5-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) has now lost five straight matches. What was once a promising start is now spiraling out of control.

With losses to Clemson (16-10, 4-10 ACC) and Georgia Tech (13-10, 8-6 ACC), SU has gone nearly three weeks without a win. The Tigers entered Friday’s match tied for last in the conference standings and won 3-1. GT, which received votes in last week’s AVCA Poll, dismantled SU in a sweep.

Orange head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam reiterated that his group must play at its limit to match up with ACC competition, and that at this point in the season, it’s started to take a toll.

“Our team has to play at the absolute limit every time if we want to beat these teams in the ACC,” Ganesharatnam said after Friday’s defeat to Clemson. “It’s not easy. It takes a lot of effort and a lot of commitment and a lot of energy in order to do that match in, match out. It’s very draining.”

As the Orange move deeper and deeper into their conference slate, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a high level of play. “The challenge is, the longer the season goes, how do we [play at our limit]?” Ganehsaratnam continued.

While it may be drained, the effort and fight that have characterized this Syracuse group are still apparent. The Orange continue to make diving digs and hustle plays. It’s the execution that has taken a step back.

“I think the effort was there,” Ganesharatnam said after the Clemson defeat. “We just couldn’t execute to the level that we needed to.”

Ganesharatnam noted an improvement on that front on Sunday against Georgia Tech. “There were times we…executed on a higher quality level than we did on Friday. However,…it was very hard to sustain that consistently.”

Amid the adversity, SU outside hitter Skylar George says the team is not demoralized. “It’s no surprise that the teams in this conference are really competitive and some of the best in the country,” George said. “I think we do a really good job of staying together as a team.”

George also said that the team is hungry to get back on track. “We’re going to come out this next week and really go for it,” she said after the defeat to GT.

SU next faces Wake Forest (11-14, 5-9 ACC) at the Women’s Building on Friday at 6 p.m. and NC State (11-13, 4-10 ACC) on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

For coverage of those matches and the remainder of the Syracuse volleyball season, follow @ryancroke_ and @CitrusTVSports on Twitter/X.