Skylar George’s late-game heroics fuel Orange wins over Niagara, Rider
Skylar George didn’t enter Friday and Saturday’s matches until after the second set, but her performances in the clutch willed SU to victory. Lindsay Baloun | Contributing Photographer
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Skylar George played in 114 of Syracuse’s 116 sets in the 2024 season. Her 258 kills and 248 digs each ranked second on the team, respectively, and she led the way with 637 reception attempts. George was one of, if not the team’s most impactful player. She was seemingly always on the court.
But this weekend, she took on a new role.
The redshirt sophomore didn’t check into Friday’s match against Niagara until deep into the second set when the score was 16-16. The Orange closed out that frame on a 9-3 run. She never exited the match after, as SU earned a sweep in the third set, winning 25-22.
Saturday’s clash with Rider was déjà vu. George stayed poised and ready for the moment she’d be called upon. She waited patiently until the fourth set, cheering her team on loudly from the sidelines. After the Orange dropped the third set, its first lost set of 2025, they needed an energy boost.
“We talked after the third set, and we said we just needed energy. We gotta want it. And I was just ready on the bench,” George said postgame Saturday. “I knew that’s what we needed, so I just had to bring that. And I think it brought it out of people, too.”
George was the late-game key for Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) in its Salt City Classic victories over Niagara (0-2, 0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic) and Rider (1-1, 0-0 MAAC). Once she entered each game, she never looked back.
George’s impact was felt the second she stepped onto the court Friday. The former Utah outside hitter’s plus-six plus-minus in the second set highlighted her presence. George kept several rallies alive and delivered numerous attacks. She recorded a block on the 25th point of the second set, which led to an error from Purple Eagles outside hitter Sydney Wilkes.
The final set was when George’s prowess fully came into fruition. SU trailed 9-6, following a service error from defensive specialist Emma Ortiz. Setter Veronica Sierzant teed the ball on a platter for George to drill over the net.
But the Orange continued to trail. It was now 14-10. Sierzant gave her teammate another chance, and she followed through for her second kill. Syracuse continued clawing back, and for the third time, Sierzant assisted George to trim the margin to one at 18-17.
George was SU’s closer, and she excelled at it. When the tension was highest, she rose. When Syracuse needed energy, she brought it.
George delivered a kill to break the game open at 23-21 before her set to Sierzant sealed the win for the Orange in their first game.
Still, her usage was thought-provoking. Last year’s squad is nothing like SU’s 2025 version. Although it lost fellow outside hitter Ava Palm — who graduated last spring — it replenished the position with Nevada transfer Gabriella McLaughlin, who played nearly the entirety of each match and totaled 29 kills across the weekend. Freshman Marie Laurio also rose to the occasion with four kills in each match.
“I thought (McLaughlin and Laurio) both did a really good job in training camp this season, and looked really good this week, especially. We felt really confident that they’re going to perform well,” SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said about his decision Friday.
The fourth-year coach emphasized George did exactly what she needed to do while pointing to the Orange’s depth at the outside hitter position.
George’s entrance into Saturday’s game was delayed further than it was the prior day. She may have never touched the court if Syracuse had won the third set. The Broncs ultimately defeated it 25-23 in a win-by-two situation.
Ganesharatnam and Co. opted to swap Laurio’s and George’s playing time. The latter came out with fire.
There was a 12-point stretch for SU in which George was responsible for four of its kills. Then, Rider tied things up at 19 apiece. Nevada transfer Tehya Maeva tossed George a dime, and she fired home the lead-taking kill.
“I wanted the ball, which I think we were talking about too, in timeouts. We gotta play like we want it, and I was eager to get on the court,” George said.
Libero Yana Ramada set up the outside hitter for her sixth kill of the frame, giving the Orange a 24-19 cushion over the Broncs. They concluded the match victorious, winning the fourth set by four points.
“Her mission is to be a starter. And that’s the good thing. That shows you the nature of her competitiveness,” Ganesharatnam said. “In the role she has now, today and yesterday, that might change tomorrow. However, in these two matches, she did an excellent job, and that speaks to her ability and her mindset as well. So kudos to Sky.”
