Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Syracuse hasn’t had a history of success in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Orange won just three conference matchups last season and went 0-18 in ACC play in 2023.

But SU has been better at conference play this year. The Orange took down Virginia Tech on the road Friday, marking their second Atlantic Coast Conference win in three matches, bringing them above .500 in conference play.

Syracuse couldn’t keep that momentum Sunday. In a five-set thriller that saw both teams trading momentum until the final point, Syracuse (10-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) fell to Virginia (8-6, 1-3 ACC), 3-2 on Sunday afternoon in Charlottesville. The Orange couldn’t close out a feisty Cavaliers squad that earned their first conference victory of the season.

Head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam has emphasized grit and composure all season, and the Orange showed both through stretches of dominance. But costly service errors and Virginia’s late-set poise proved to be too much to overcome.

Graduate middle-blocker Zharia Harris-Waddy, who entered the weekend leading the team with 40 block attempts, opened Syracuse’s possession at the service line. Early on, the Orange offense found rhythm behind senior outside hitter Gabriella McLaughlin, tallying five kills on six swings in the first set.

Sophomore libero Reese Teves gave Syracuse an early jolt with two service aces, sparking a 6-3 lead. McLaughlin and redshirt sophomore Skylar George worked together as a powerhouse, with George tooling shots off the Virginia block to extend the advantage.

Junior setter Tehya Maeva, the team’s captain and offensive anchor, distributed seamlessly, recording 14 assists in the opening frame. She connected with graduate middle Soana Lea’ea on a perfectly placed quick set down the middle and later caught the Cavaliers off guard with a backhanded tip kill.

Junior right-side hitter Sydnie Waller added three kills late, including the set clincher, while Harris-Waddy sealed the opener with Syracuse’s third ace of the day. The Orange hit .379 as a team with 14 kills, cruising to a 25-16 first-set victory.

Waller opened the second set with another kill, but Virginia’s defense quickly stiffened. The Cavaliers’ freshman standout Reagan Ennist found her rhythm, delivering four kills midway through the set to close Syracuse’s lead.

George continued to fire from all angles for Syracuse, notching her sixth kill of the match to keep the Orange in front 14-10. McLaughlin, who had nearly 1,000 career kills during her three seasons at Nevada before transferring to Syracuse, added her ninth of the afternoon to make it 21-19 late in the second set.

Service pressure from Virginia flipped the momentum. Ennist recorded back-to-back aces, and the Cavaliers capitalized on SU’s miscues to take the set 25-22. Syracuse still outhit Virginia .345 to .265, but the Cavaliers’ three aces and two blocks in the second proved unmanageable for the Orange.

The third set began as a back-and-forth duel. McLaughlin pounded her 12th kill early to give the Orange an 8-5 edge.

After Virginia stormed back with six straight points, three plays later, Lea’ea answered with a steadying kill. Ganesharatnam has described Lea’ea as “one of the most stable players in the gym,” and her consistency showed as she produced key points late in the set.

Waller and George combined for a string of kills to tie things at 14 before McLaughlin’s cross-court strike gave Syracuse the set point opportunity. Lea’ea finished it off moments later, closing a 25-23 third-set win that put the Orange ahead two sets to one. Through three sets, McLaughlin had 17 kills and was one dig shy of her 43rd career double-double.

Playing shorthanded due to four injuries, Virginia leaned heavily on Ennist and outside hitter Lauryn Bowie. The Cavaliers built an early 7-4 lead, but Syracuse responded, as Maeva found McLaughlin and Waller for back-to-back kills en route to tying the fourth frame at seven.

UVA libero Kate Barrier posted 12 digs in the set, keeping the Orange’s high-powered offense in check. Waller added her eighth kill to momentarily reclaim the lead for Syracuse, but Virginia’s serving, especially from Meredith Reeg, swung the momentum again.

Despite late and dominant kills from Harris-Waddy and McLaughlin, the Cavaliers held strong. A critical block from Jasmine Robinson and another kill from Ennist — her 24th of the afternoon — sealed a 25-21 win to force a deciding fifth set.

Virginia raced ahead 7-1 behind Ennist’s relentless attack and setter Zoey Dood’s quick ball distribution. Syracuse clawed back with a block from Harris-Waddy and Waller, followed by five straight points, capped by clutch blocks from George to tie the score at eight.

The Orange took their first lead of the final set, 9-8, after another stifling block from George. Their defense came alive with nine total blocks on the afternoon.

McLaughlin rifled a back-row laser to even the score at 14-14, but Virginia refused to back down. Ennist — who finished with a career-high 32 kills on 89 swings, the first Cavalier to surpass 25 kills in seven years — tipped the ball softly over the net to clinch the 17-15 deciding-set win.

McLaughlin led Syracuse with 23 kills, 14 digs, and a .316 hitting percentage, earning her 10th double-double of the season. George followed with 18 kills and three blocks, while Waller added nine kills and Harris-Waddy totaled seven kills, three blocks and one ace. Maeva tallied 53 assists and 15 digs, directing an Orange offense that outhit Virginia .230 to .178.

The difference came from the service line: Virginia racked up 10 aces to Syracuse’s three, and Ennist’s historic performance proved to be too much to contain.

With the loss, Syracuse drops to 2-2 in ACC play and 10-4 overall. The Orange return to the Women’s Building for a four-game homestand beginning Friday against California – a crucial stretch as they look to regain momentum in conference play.

Published on October 5, 2025 at 6:16 pm
Contact Ellie: esrand@syr.edu