Syracuse defeats Notre Dame 3-1 in its ACC opener
Syracuse, led by Skylar George’s career-high 21 digs, defeated Notre Dame in four sets to start Atlantic Coast Conference play 1-0. Tara Deluca | Staff Photographer
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A season ago, Syracuse trailed two sets to zero against Notre Dame. With just one conference win on the season, the Orange looked destined for another disappointing loss.
Then a switch flipped. After winning the third set, SU’s defense (19 blocks) propelled it to a 25-22 fourth set victory to set up a fifth set. In that deciding set, Veronica Sierzant notched a kill to give Syracuse the set 15-12. Throughout a frustrating Atlantic Coast Conference campaign, the Orange’s comeback against Notre Dame was one of their lone bright spots.
Following the game, Syracuse head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam expressed a firm belief in his team’s ability to compete:
“It’s not by accident that we were able to stay in this game and come back,” Ganesharatnam said.
A season later, his team continued to display that ability against the Fighting Irish. While a comeback was not needed, Syracuse (9-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) defeated Notre Dame (3-6, 0-1 ACC) for the second straight season. SU controlled the net all night — just as it had a season ago — registering 14 blocks to ND’s six. Skylar George recorded a career-high 21 digs en route to a four-set victory.
“This is why we are in this conference. We want to compete against the best in the country and see what we can do against them,” Syracuse head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said in weekly media availability.
When watching Notre Dame, one name immediately jumps off the screen: sophomore Morgan Gaerte. Coming into the game, the outside hitter led the team with 159 kills and ranked second in the ACC in kills per set (4.67), only trailing Miami’s Flormarie Heredia Colon (5.10).
Against Syracuse, she immediately asserted herself with a powerful spike that landed at George’s feet for the first point of the game. Gaerte followed that up with a shot from the same side that landed in front of Rana Yamada to give ND the first two points of the game. Notre Dame head coach Salima Rockwell’s game plan was clear: establish Gaerte early and often.
After an Irish blitz to start, Syracuse began involving the outside hitters. George tooled the block against Chichi Nnaji and then deployed a clinical drop shot, rising to attempt a spike but changing her arm angle abruptly, placing it softly behind Notre Dame’s front line to cut the lead to 8-6.
Against Notre Dame last season, Zharia Harris-Waddy totaled 17 kills and 11 blocks — both career highs. On Friday, Harris-Waddy shined again, contributing 10 kills and six blocks. A kill that found the back-left corner put Syracuse up 15-14. From there, SU and ND traded points until Gabby McLaughlin’s attempt bounced out of play off Irish defenders to give Syracuse a 25-23 first set victory.
Undoubtedly, the story of the night was Syracuse’s defensive effort, which held Notre Dame to a .121 hitting percentage. In addition to George’s career-high dig tally, SU also totaled its highest dig count of the season with 86, the next closest game being 70.
The Orange were able to stymie ND’s attack because of their outside hitters’ sheer hustle. Leading 3-2 in the second set, McLaughlin sprinted to the backline and made a crucial save to keep the point alive. Seconds later, Nnaji’s kill attempt landed wide right.
SU was in control up 20-16, and seemed poised to go up two sets to none. But Notre Dame, with Lucy Trump serving, ignited for a 6-0 run to take control of the set. At set point, Gaerte’s spike was too powerful for McLaughlin to handle, setting up a crucial third set.
To start the third set, SU got an unexpected boost on the serve. Coming into the game, Harris-Waddy had just two aces on the season, but she matched that total to boost Syracuse to a 5-0 scoring run, giving it a 6-1 lead. A Maya Baker service error extended that advantage to 20-13, and SU closed out Notre Dame 25-18 with little resistance.
Earlier this week, Ganesharatnam highlighted the team’s self-belief:
“We certainly have our work cut out for ourselves, but we also go (to Notre Dame) with the confidence of having won eight games,” Ganesharatnam said.
After a demoralizing end to the second set, the Orange’s third set victory was a statement. That momentum carried into the fourth set, when Tehya Maeva disguised a dump to perfection, catching the defense off guard for her first kill of the game. After an extensive rally, Sierzant fired a cross-court shot that gave SU a 12-10 lead.
In the most tense moments of the match, SU remained composed. Leading 20-16, George stuffed Anna Bjork at the net, letting everyone in Purcell Pavilion know it with a burst of emotion.
At match point, it had to be George for Syracuse. The star sophomore fired it past multiple ND defenders to clinch the victory and cap a career-defining performance.
“We’re the underdogs, but we’re going to play with a chip on our shoulder regardless of the outcome,” Harris-Waddy said at weekly media availability.
