Ashlee Volpe got benched. She still notched a career-high 4 assists.
Despite Parker’s strong first quarter, Volpe emerged off the bench and accrued a career-high four assists. Brody Schuffler | Contributing Photographer
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After Syracuse’s 0-3 start to the season, all Regy Thorpe wanted was goals.
“Averaging six and a half goals a game after three games, you have to make some changes,” the first-year head coach said.
Goals stem from playmakers along the wings like Ashlee Volpe. During home games, she spends most of her time at X, bouncing off the letters inside the football endzone.
But aside from two goals this season, Volpe’s had nothing to offer. So, Thorpe inserted Annie Parker in Volpe’s place in the starting 12 Tuesday.
Volpe embraced the role, having a career day off the bench.
In her first non-start since the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, Volpe delivered a career-high four assists in No. 15 Syracuse’s (1-3, 0-2 ACC) 15-7 rout of No. 13 Loyola (2-3, 1-0 Patriot League). Although Parker flashed potential, it was Volpe who helped the Orange embark on a 7-0 run in the third quarter, when she recorded half of her assists.
“We made a few changes in the lineup just trying to get something going, spark-wise,” Thorpe said.
Whether it was starting Mackenzie Rich over Gracie Britton, using freshman Mackenzie Borbi more or opting for a split between Parker and Volpe, SU made it work. For a while, though, it seemed Volpe’s time would never come.
Parker was playing so well Thorpe couldn’t bear the idea of taking her out. It was like she had eyes in the back of her head. From the block ‘N’ on the “Orange” side of the end zone, Parker whipped the ball to Joely Caramelli to open the scoring.
Volpe entered briefly in the first quarter and was stripped by Dacia Cordingley. Out she went and in came Parker. Minutes later, the sophomore was hopping in the back of the end zone, locating a gliding Courtney Maclay for a finish on the go.
“I stepped into that role naturally,” Parker said.
But when Elisa Faklaris trimmed SU’s lead from two to one with three seconds left in the first quarter, Thorpe tried something different. Volpe would start the second frame, and just like Parker, it would be difficult to take her off.
With her back to the goal, she felt Reilly Mahon on her tail. The junior glimpsed right, and there stood Cordingley. That matchup would fare differently this time. Volpe faked with her inside foot and instead planted it to cut backward. She found Borbi all alone. The freshman buried the ball.
That already tied Volpe’s career-best mark, recorded twice last season. Having suffered two separate ACL tears, it seemed her prowess as a set piece was rejuvenated. There was always more to her game beyond the 16 career goals she entered Tuesday with.
Out of the break, the Orange emerged with three consecutive unassisted goals to extend their advantage to five.
Just like Parker, Volpe scampered on block ‘N,’ searching for a pass. Feigning a handoff from the overlapping Britton, the junior flipped her hips, fooling Emily Scorcia so badly that she nearly fell to her knees. But Brigid Vaikness was in Volpe’s face. Clinking sticks, Volpe released the ball over Greyhounds goaltender Makenzie Butler’s head and into the cupped stick of Molly Guzik. Eurostepping into the crease, SU’s draw specialist scored.
“Ashlee’s a great player, so switching off with her is awesome,” Parker said.
Three minutes later, Volpe was playing catch with Alexa Vogelman, waiting for the right opportunity to do her magic all over again. Threading the ball at an acute angle around Isabella Grosso, it was enough to hit Mileena Cotter in stride, who hunched her way through defenders for the finish.
In the waning moments of the fourth, the Greyhounds spooked the Orange with two straight goals. They weren’t enough to change the trajectory of the 14-7 contest. Volpe had one last trick up her sleeve.
Faking to Guzik, tip-toeing out of the end zone, the junior gave another teammate a shot at a hat trick, which Guzik had already achieved. Caramelli retrieved the pass and ripped twine.
Thorpe won’t admit what the most important change was.
“It’s not one specific person,” he said. “Across the board, we weren’t playing well. We needed something to spark us. We’re gonna keep tweaking until we find the right match.”
The stress that comes with being benched could have infuriated Volpe. But she remained calm, waiting for her time.
The tandem of Parker and Volpe proved to be the difference Tuesday, especially with the junior’s late explosion. And even in the back of Thorpe’s mind, he knows he lit a fire inside of Volpe that brought the best out of her.
“Volpe is an unbelievable player,” he said.
DISCLAIMER: Courtney Maclay is a contributing writer for The Daily Orange. She did not influence the editorial content of this article.
