What to know about SU volleyball ahead of 2026 campaign
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Syracuse volleyball’s 2025 season started with promise. The Orange were 9-2 after opening Atlantic Coast Conference play with a win over Notre Dame. It seemed it could be SU’s first winning season since 2021 and first winning ACC season since 2018.
But the Orange stumbled in October, going just 4-4 in their next eight conference games. The final game of that stretch, a nail-biting 3-2 win over Boston College on Oct. 22, showed flashes of SU’s potential to compete in the ACC.
It was all for nothing, as Syracuse fell flat, losing its last 11 games to end 13-17 (5-15 ACC). This story played out in 2022 and 2024, when SU’s winning records vanished after late-season skids. Fifth-year head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam and Co. look to break that cycle with their new-look roster.
Here’s everything you need to know about Syracuse volleyball before its 2026 campaign begins against Cincinnati Aug. 29:
Roster overhaul
Following the 11-game collapse, Syracuse experienced a player exodus. Among exiters were outside hitter catalysts Gabriella McLaughlin and Skylar George, setter Tehya Maeva and defensive stalwart libero Rana Yamada.
Only one player from 2025, outside hitter Marie Laurio, returned, sending the program back to square one. For the first time, Ganesharatnam had to build a roster from scratch.
Despite being seventh in digs in the ACC in 2025, SU was 14th in kills against and 16th in blocks. No player recorded 100 blocks. Therefore, Syracuse brought in three fifth-year defensive players — middle blockers Abby Nicholson and Bo Nijenhuis and libero Anna Smith — to rebuild the defense.
Nicholson is a two-way player who tallied 145 kills and 96 blocks at Lafayette last season. Nijenhuis brings experience from Rivo Rijssen, a championship-winning team in the Netherlands’ top amateur league. Smith recorded 174 digs in three seasons at Coastal Carolina.
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SU added five freshmen this offseason, its most since 2023. Three play defensive positions — middle blockers Emma Faerber and Kiera Hagler and libero Queen Howse.
Faerber was VC Wiesbaden’s middle blocker during four straight German National Championship trips, and Hagler started for Alabama Performance Club and Calera High School (AL). Howse finished second at the 2025 AAU National Championship with Tennessee Performance Club and was All-District and All-Region at Brentwood High School (TN).
Smith said everyone has a voice on the team, regardless of age, and they’re learning from each other.
“No matter who you are on the team, you have a right to your opinion, to talk to the team,” Smith said. “I feel like with us being here since the end of June, we’ve all really established relationships on the court.”
Offensively, the biggest loss was Maeva, who led the team in assists last year with 1004. No other player on SU reached 100.
To replace Maeva, Ganesharatnam returned a familiar face in setter Mira Ledermueller.
Ledermueller, who played for the Orange from 2023-24, left for UT Arlington last season and posted a career-high 943 assists, the most in the Western Athletic Conference.
“I think as we grow closer, we can be very successful,” Ledermueller said. “So just seeing everyone grow into their roles and executing is something that I’m looking forward to.”
Rebuilding chemistry
SU’s primary focus this preseason has been ensuring players are connecting and working together. Ledermueller said getting everyone “engaged and incorporated into the game” is key to finding rhythm once the season begins.
This focus has been felt defensively, where everyone is new to Syracuse’s playstyle. Smith said everyone is participating in drills to ensure they’re all in sync.
“We have a very diverse team; everyone’s from everywhere,” Smith said. “We’ve been really working on everyone being on the same page defensively.”
Similarly, offensive players are adapting to the system. However, nobody has gone through this experience alone, Laurio said.
“We have a really good foundation right now, and just being able to lean on each other, learn from each other,” Laurio said. “It’s been really exciting to see the chemistry grow.”
Challenging stretches, road-game struggles
The Orange open against two Power Four opponents for the first time since 2020. They’ll face Cincinnati and Illinois back to back in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Under Ganesharatnam, SU is 1-5 in nonconference Power Four matchups with its lone win coming over Iowa State in 2024.
Syracuse’s struggles don’t end there. Over the past four years, the Orange are a dismal 12-36 away from home. The first five games of the season are on the road, and while three are against non-Power Four teams, SU could face early adversity.
However, the conference play is historically where Syracuse crumbles, and the first four games will immediately test their resolve. SU opens ACC play against No. 7 Louisville, then faces No. 11 SMU and No. 4 Pittsburgh. It also plays No. 5 Stanford and No. 19 North Carolina on the road.
Under Ganesharatnam, the Orange are 15-61 against ACC opponents without a ranked win. Despite this, SU’s 5-4 ACC start last year showed consistency.
If the Orange recapture and sustain the consistency that gave them hope in previous years, the 2026 squad can attain success.
