Syracuse volleyball opens season with 3-0 loss to Cincinnati
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There’s a saying that old habits die hard.
Though not often applied to sports, the saying rings especially true for Syracuse volleyball.
Since the Orange’s last winning season in 2021, they’ve gone 41-77 across the past four years. A two-win campaign in 2023 and an 11-game skid to end 2025 marked the lowlights of the rocky stretch.
Entering 2026, Syracuse hoped to leave its woes behind with a new-look roster featuring 15 new faces.
Three hundred eleven days after its last win, Syracuse (0-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) faced off against Cincinnati (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) in Illinois, hoping to capture an elusive victory. However, SU’s dreams turned into nightmares as it lost in straight sets to the Bearcats, compunded by 21 Syracuse errors. It’s the Orange’s 12th straight loss dating back to last season.
Despite falling 3-0 overall and trailing early in the first, Syracuse kept the opening set competitive until the end.
Down by five after the mid-set break, outside hitter Kiernan Stamey got Syracuse back in the match. She notched three straight kills to trim the deficit to two before fellow outside hitter Aileen McAllister cut Cincinnati’s lead to one. An ensuing service ace suddenly had the Orange tied with the Bearcats late in the first set.
The teams traded points until Cincinnati pulled ahead 26-25. Then, an attack error from middle blocker Emma Faerber handed the Bearcats the first set.
Even with the close set, Syracuse’s offensive numbers were poor. A sub-15% hitting mark and sloppy control led to seven errors.
Similarly to the first set, most of Syracuse’s second set points came through Marie Laurio.
Syracuse’s only returning player from 2025, Laurio is stepping into a larger role in 2026 and showed her potential Saturday. Her six kills in the second set kept it close as SU attempted to tie the game.
“She’s a typical Syracuse volleyball player,” SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said of Laurio during Wednesday’s media availability. “She’s a really good teammate. She’s very open to growth. She has huge potential.”
Laurio was backed up by Stamey, who added five kills in the second set. The pair kept powering the offense, combining for over half of the squad’s second-set points.
The Orange opened the second set up 1-0 but relinquished their advantage early. SU didn’t retake the lead as multiple errors hindered its ability to capitalize on any momentum.
With Syracuse down 9-8, Cincinnati rattled off three consecutive service aces amid a four-point run before Stamey stopped the bleeding with a kill.
Between Cincinnati errors and Laurio kills, the Orange stormed back to tie the second set at 18.
But then Syracuse collapsed. Cincinnati took a 21-19 lead before scoring four unanswered points that sent Syracuse reeling. The Bearcats took a 2-0 lead after winning the set 25-19.
SU then came out cold in the third set, trailing 6-4 early. The Orange couldn’t catch a break as Cincinnati went on a 6-0 run and took a 12-4 lead in a must-win set for Syracuse.
Still, the Orange didn’t go down quietly. After stringing together a few points, Syracuse was blocked twice on the same point before Laurio slammed a kill to the empty floor to score.
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Despite the effort, the third set ended in familiar fashion for SU. A torrid Cincinnati ended the game on an 8-2 run, convincingly winning the set 25-11.
Stamey and Laurio showed offensive promise for the Orange, tallying 13 kills each. Freshman setter Charis Burge led the team with 25 assists.
But those numbers didn’t matter. Cincinnati exposed Syracuse’s defensive incohesiveness throughout the match, repeatedly slamming kills into empty space before Syracuse could make adjustments. The Orange also handed the Bearcats points throughout the match with their errors, contributing to their downfall.
Cincinnati completed the 27-25, 25-19, 25-11 sweep easily, sending Syracuse back to the drawing board before its match against Illinois on Aug. 30.
“At this stage of the season, we have to use these matches in order for us to improve and work on those things we want to be good at,” Ganesharatnam said on Wednesday.
