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In 2021, Bakeer Ganesharatnam was coaching at Temple, still one year away from becoming Syracuse’s head coach. That year, the Orange finished 17-13, with one of the offensive highlights being their .489 hitting percentage in a straight sets win over Ball State.

Since becoming Syracuse’s head coach, Ganesharatnam has yet to hit the 17-win mark. A major reason SU has yet to finish with a positive record is its inefficient offensive production. That’s why this offseason, improving in hitting percentage and offensive efficiency was a focal point. Last season, SU ranked third-to-last in kills (1,302) and second-to-last in kills per set (11.22) in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

But Friday, Ganesharatnam reached a different mark. Syracuse (7-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) achieved its highest hitting percentage (.455) in four seasons in a dominant straight sets victory over Siena (3-7, 0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic). Five SU players hit over .400, and Veronica Sierzant recorded her highest kill total of the season (10) playing in the right-side hitter role.

“Being consistent on serve receive really helped our setter to get our middles involved. That’s something we wanted to do,” Ganesharatnam said postgame.

Through six games, Syracuse was cruising, with Ganesharantam’s vision of a diversified offense translating to the court. At its best, SU’s offense features constant movement and various attacking options — as opposed to just Gabby McLaughlin and Skylar George — that put pressure on opposing defenses.

Against Colgate, however, the offensive engine hit a snag. Syracuse’s .188 hitting percentage was its lowest of the season. The Raiders blitzed the Orange with six straight points to open the game and carried that energy into the following sets.

The Orange attack prevented Siena from rewriting Colgate’s story on Friday, as SU registered 15 first-set kills. Early in the first set, McLaughlin, Syracuse’s kill leader, lofted a finesse shot to the front right portion of the court that libero Autumn Willmott could not reach. A couple points later, McLaughlin showcased her versatility, with a powerful spike over the heads of the Saints to make it 9-8 Siena.

McLaughlin’s aggressiveness synced the Orange offense. After trailing 9-8, Syracuse took a 16-11 lead after Skylar George laced a strike that hit off Mary Claire Deacy and landed for a point. SU stayed in control for the remainder of the set, winning 25-19, and hitting .371 to the Saints’ .103 – a prelude of what was to come.

While McLaughlin (14 kills) and George (seven) excelled in their outside hitter roles, the position group welcomed a new member for the night: Sierzant. Traditionally a setter, Sierzant totaled a season high 10 kills playing on the right side. The Savannah, Georgia, native embraced the change.

“It’s definitely different from playing the setter position … I played some of it last year, but I like it. I’m here for the team and here to help the team in any way that I can,” Sierzant said.

Ganesharatnam has toyed with various lineup combinations throughout the season, but one that has found success recently is the 6-2. In that formation, the Orange have two setters on the court in Sierzant and Tehya Maeva, but while Sierzant is labeled as a setter, she operates more as a hitter on the right side.

That change gives SU another natural playmaker on the outside, as opposed to a traditional outside hitter that is solely an attacking threat.

“We have very talented, very high-level setters. It’s a great thing to have,” Ganesharatnam said. “We’re very fortunate to be in this position.”

As conference play approaches, Ganesharatnam could opt to pivot to the less traditional 6-2 scheme intermittently to put opposing defensive players in unique defensive situations.

With Sierzant providing a offensive boost, the offense tallied a 7-0 surge early in the second set that extended SU’s lead to 13-6. That advantage extended to 17-8 when Sierzant flicked the ball over the net for an easy point. Siena’s defense had no answers for the Orange’s potent offense — Saints defenders were constantly put in difficult situations.

After taking the second set 25-14 and improving its hitting percentage to .438 for the set, Syracuse kept its foot on the gas. McLaughlin added another kill with a cross-court spike to give the Orange a 13-7 advantage. Spelling George, Marie Laurio, who gave the Orange a boost as a substitute in Saturday’s game against Colgate, lofted a shot to take a 21-10 lead.

Three points later, the freshman fired the ball to the back left corner to secure a Syracuse victory and a historical offensive day.

“It’s our service to taking care of free balls that opens us up to run the middles and run all different options. And with that, I think that’ll be really helpful going into conference and going into tomorrow,” Maeva said.

Published on September 19, 2025 at 9:43 pm
Contact Sumner: sbaines@syr.edu | @Sumner__Baines