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Syracuse volleyball arranged an exhibition match for Aug. 23 at Buffalo three days before its regular season began. Why? Because the Orange needed to be tested on the road.

Earlier this week, Orange head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said it was important for his players to have that experience. There was no better environment to develop that chemistry than on the road.

Buffalo swept Syracuse. Still, this result wasn’t a concern.

Instead, the Orange used the scrimmage as fuel. SU showed flashes against the Bulls and kept each of the three sets within five points. Syracuse’s cohesion formed out of thin air that day, and it put that to the test last weekend, when it defeated Niagara, Rider and Le Moyne in the Salt City Classic.

But that was in the comfort of its own home. The Orange hadn’t won outside of their court in 2025.

Syracuse (5-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) pushed that narrative to the side on Thursday and Friday when it cruised through matches against UAlbany (2-2, 0-0 America East) and Canisius (1-3, 0-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic) at the UAlbany Invitational. The Orange won both matches in sweeps, which it did twice at the Salt City Classic.

SU hasn’t dropped a set since the third frame in Saturday’s contest against the Broncs. Friday’s win brought the Orange to 10 consecutive set victories. Syracuse is nearing its best stretch of 14 in 2024.

After trailing 6-5, Syracuse broke the first set open when Tehya Maeva flung a ball that UAlbany liberos Brooke Malek and Kiki Provatas couldn’t control. One point turned into four.

SU found its groove halfway through the frame, as Skylar George strung two kills together. Fellow outside hitter Gabriella McLaughlin then pounded a ball out of reach of UAlbany’s right side hitters.

Syracuse maintained north of a three-score advantage for the remainder of the set, winning 25-17.

McLaughlin was responsible for the play of the night in the second set. The captain controlled a dig, which she hit back to libero Rana Yamada. She then received a give-and-go, which she punched past UAlbany setter Maria Olga Siapani to take an 11-6 advantage.

The former Nevada tandem of McLaughlin and Maeva connected on the set-clinching point. McLaughlin finished the play to earn a 25-12 victory. The second frame was the most efficient of the three for the Orange, as they earned a 27.8% hitting percentage.

SU’s closing technique was its cross-body smashes. McLaughlin earned its 15th point, gliding the ball from one side to the other. The Great Danes’ liberos made miraculous saves in the point that broke the 17-17 tie, but the Orange’s leader in kills threaded the ball past a splitting Campbell Robinson.

SU played its deepest set yet after almost fumbling its early advantage. Yamada failed to serve over the net, which knotted the frame at 22 apiece. She later missed the ball on a Malek ace to give the Great Danes a 25-24 lead.

But in a win-by-two situation, SU came through. Maeva earned a season-high 37 assists and found Soana Lea’ea to seal a 27-25 set.

The first two sets Friday against Canisius were dog fights. The Orange never surrendered their lead to the Golden Griffins, but gave up points in chunks. Right side hitter Sydnie Waller smacked a ball down at the net to elevate SU to a 2-0 start.

But then came the errors. Four of its 10 faults were in the first set. McLaughlin overshot an attempt that enabled Canisius to begin clawing back. Then nobody could control a serve from Golden Griffins libero Olivia Van Kooten.

From that moment on, Syracuse brought finesse. George tipped a shallow ball, causing setter Ella Bourque to slip. She lofted another one into the ground to win the set 25-22.

SU’s proficient give-and-gos were the theme of the second set. George to McLaughlin to George made it 14-9. McLaughlin to Maeva to McLaughlin made it 19-14. A Van Kooten error notched the Orange a 25-21 set victory.

SU made history in the third set. On Sunday, it surrendered single-digit points in two sets. It was the first time since Oct. 17, 2020 that it defended that well in one set. The Orange accomplished the feat for the third time in 2025, allowing just seven Golden Griffins points, the fewest it’s given up all year.

George set the frame’s tone early, lofting the ball on an attempted set to her teammates. While she overshot it, everyone froze, and the ball bounced on Canisius’ side.

The Orange continued their fire, exploding for a 10-1 run. The bench was thunderous when middle blocker Oreva Evivie stymied an attack from Julia Lenik. She then recorded the final two kills of the game.

Syracuse volleyball was 5-0 at this point in 2024, but it’s finished the job more convincingly in all five of its matches thus far. SU has held its opponents to single-digit points in three of its most recent nine sets.

Published on September 5, 2025 at 7:14 pm
jaglick@syr.edu | @jason_glick