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Syracuse volleyball middle blocker Zharia Harris-Waddy is a fervent Philadelphia 76ers fan. “Trust the process” is a phrase the junior said she’s constantly heard in discourse about her favorite basketball team for over a decade.

Acquiring promising young talent to hoist a feeble team back on its feet has been Philadelphia’s vision for success. There have been bumps along the road, yet it’s continued trusting its young core to ascend from the NBA Draft to the playoffs. It was clear the 76ers couldn’t turn things around overnight.

Harris-Waddy believed SU volleyball is eerily similar in its endeavors to reach the pinnacle of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Orange head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam took over the program in 2022, knowing it was bound for a rebuild.

Since then, Ganesharatnam has stayed patient — especially with his coaching staff. Syracuse has had the same batch of coaches, which includes associate head coach Akiko Hatakeyama and assistant coach Gabriella Matautia, in the effort to develop consistency.

“It felt like building a brand new program because of the way we came in and what we had at that time,” Ganesharatnam said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to really build the program the way we want it.”

Upon leaving Temple University, Ganesharatnam inherited a strong but older Syracuse squad in 2022 after former head coach Leonid Yelin left SU after 10 seasons to return to Barry University.

Ganesharatnam guided Syracuse to an 11-17 finish in 2022, which included four consecutive victories to begin ACC play. But it followed with an ugly 3-11 stretch. The Orange’s .243 opponent hitting percentage was last in the conference.

From there, Ganesharatnam molded SU from the ground up.

Out went Aven Lee, who spent one season with Syracuse as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator. The Orange also parted ways with assistant coach Lesli Akeo, who followed Ganesharatnam from Temple for a season.

Only four players from 2022 returned as well. More importantly, Ganesharatnam recruited a new staff.

When considering candidates, his philosophy was straightforward.

“My dad always says you don’t have to be the first or second choice. You just have to be the right choice,” Ganesharatnam said.

SU hired Hatakeyama, a familiar face for Ganesharatnam, in 2023. The two coached together at Temple from 2011-20, and he promoted her to associate head coach in 2016. Hatakeyama had held the same title at Nevada in 2022 before coming to Syracuse.

“I think I learned early on in my career that I need to surround myself with people that are better than I am, and that’s what I do when I hire my assistant coaches,” Ganesharatnam said.

Akiko Hatakeyama leads a drill during a Syracuse volleyball practice. Head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam, who coached alongside Hatakeyama at Temple from 2011 to 2020, hired her in 2023. Courtesy of SU Athletics

Few coaches were better players than Hatakeyama. She enjoyed an impressive collegiate career at Kaetsu Women’s Junior College in Japan, Southern Miss and Temple. In 1997, Hatakeyama helped the Owls to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. She then played professionally from 1999-2011 in the United States, Azerbaijan and nine European countries.

Her volleyball prowess is built for competitive atmospheres, which she believes the ACC embodies. Hatakeyama could have landed a coaching job anywhere after her illustrious career around the world but chose to take an offer in what she believes is the best conference in the United States.

Two months later, Syracuse added Matautia. Her roots also lie with Temple, where she played under her now-colleagues. Matautia set a school single-season service ace record in 2012 with 41.

“I got the opportunity to be a part of a rebuilding program with Coach (Ganesharatnam) and Coach Akiko,” Matautia said. “I felt like it really made my experience as a student-athlete, and I wanted the chance to experience that from the coaching side.”

Out of college, Matautia coached the University of Hawaii’s men’s team and the boys’ squad at Monalua High School (Hawaii). After five years in control of the Aloha State Volleyball Club, she took SU’s assistant coach spot.

The tandem of Ganesharatnam, Hatakeyama and Matautia piloted the pack in 2023, along with Orange legend Polina Shemanova as director of operations, before she departed a year later to play professionally. She was succeeded by now-director Sebastian Delangle.

Eight of Syracuse’s 13 players were underclassmen. It was obvious it’d take some time to reach its potential. But SU’s underclassmen were sold on the program’s new direction.

“When they recruited me here, they had a vision that I really aligned myself with,” Harris-Waddy said. “I really wanted to be a part of that, be able to build that up and watch it continue to grow.”

The first year of the Orange’s new era set a low bar — 2-26 with zero conference wins. Still, the freshman class was promising. Harris-Waddy’s 184 points led the team. First-year setter Veronica Sierzant was third with 156.5.

In a collegiate world seeing more transfers, Syracuse lucked out that Harris-Waddy, Sierzant and right side hitter Sydnie Waller have stayed aboard for three years.

Still, many didn’t stay at Syracuse after such an abysmal season. Right side hitter Ariana Joubert and defensive specialist Melina Brooking both departed after their sophomore seasons in 2023. Left back Greta Schlichter and setter Mira Ledermueller both departed after the 2024 season, shrinking the Orange’s 2023 freshman class from five to three. But what if they took a different approach? Why not SU?

“I feel like we’re all very aligned on our team culture and how we want to build and grow it,” Harris-Waddy said. “If you’re someone that wants to build up, commit to that, then that’s what I’d say (to convince you to come here). We do things in a very specific way, and we’re always putting in work.”

Although the Orange carried three true freshmen in 2024, they welcomed several new transfers. Graduate student Ava Palm shined brightest, notching a team-high 371 kills in her lone year in central New York.

Younger and older. Long-term and short-term. Players were seeing something special they wanted to be part of. And it showed in Syracuse’s record.

Gabriella Matautia addresses playing during a postgame meeting following a Syracuse volleyball match. Matautia previously coached the University of Hawaii’s men’s team and joined SU as an assistant coach in 2023. Courtesy of SU Athletics

The Orange catapulted to a 12-0 start. Although things went downhill in conference matches, they finished 15-17.

The improvement indicated that Ganesharatnam assembled the perfect staff to help SU reach its goals. His greatest comfort is knowing the athletic department has his back.

“When we took over the program, we presented a vision. Our athletics director is completely bought into that vision, and that’s one of the reasons we’re here,” Ganesharatnam said. “We’re very grateful that we’re receiving the support we need in order to put that vision into action.”

The Orange will channel their inner Sixers mindset and trust the process. Over time, NBA free agents saw a homegrown core in The City of Brotherly Love that they wanted to commit to.

Take Syracuse’s two captains, Gabriella McLaughlin and Tehya Maeva, for example. They are transfer students from Nevada who chose to spend their final year of college on a team with three freshmen and seven returners.

With the Salt City Classic coming up this weekend, SU is entering its next chapter. Now, it expects to compete with top ACC squads.

“We want to see improvement in the culture. We want to see improvement in the skillset and the way we play,” Ganesharatnam said. “And if we do that, I think we’re going to also see an improvement in the overall record and for the program as well for not just this season but moving forward.”

Published on August 27, 2025 at 9:37 pm
jaglick@syr.edu