Syracuse volleyball falls in 4 sets to Arkansas in home opener
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There were plenty of concerns after Syracuse lost in straight sets twice to open the season. The Orange lacked a clear attack, their offensive miscues killed momentum, and they failed to play up to their Power Four competition.
Despite SU’s struggles, head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam wasn’t concerned.
“Our focus is not purely on the outcome; our focus is on development,” Ganesharatnam said. “If we keep that focus on those areas, the results will easily come as a side product.”
One week later, Ganesharatnam’s words rang true.
The Orange swept Howard and UAlbany in straight sets before taking down Cornell in a five-set thriller in the Cornell Invitational.
Syracuse had momentum for the first time all season. But when it returned to the Women’s Building for the first home match of the season, another Power Four test loomed.
Hoping to dispel any notion that it couldn’t play up to competition, Syracuse (3-3, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) fell to Arkansas (4-2, 0-0 Southeastern) in four sets. With the 3-1 loss, SU remain winless at home since beating Duke 3-0 on Oct. 17, 2025.
The first set started in Syracuse’s favor. It got off to a 5-4 lead before middle blocker Bo Nijenhuis recorded a monster block.
However, Arkansas fought back. Back-to-back blocks killed Syracuse’s lead, and it was a battle from then on. The teams swapped points, with neither taking a lead of more than two.
Down by one, setter Charis Burge tied the game for the Orange with a sneaky kill. She feinted a set before lofting an attack just over the tape and into empty space. The freshman contributed 31 assists in her first home match.
Arkansas was up one entering the first break, but its lead didn’t last long. The teams kept trading blows until four Syracuse errors in the final six points allowed the Razorbacks to win the set.
Throughout the contest, Syracuse couldn’t compete with Arkansas’s middle blockers. The Razorbacks compiled 28 blocks, with eight coming in the first frame.
“They have some really good, strong blockers, but we worked on controlling our first touches and allowing our offense to be more diverse.” Ganesharatnam said. “We could have done a little better, more consistently throughout the match.”
The second set mirrored the first. Syracuse held a brief 2-1 lead but couldn’t pull away. Arkansas took advantage, taking a 10-7 lead as Parker Duncan tallied three consecutive kills. Duncan gave the Orange trouble all game, finishing with a 20-kill, 11-dig double-double.
But Syracuse didn’t go down easily. Marie Laurio’s kill brought SU within two before fellow outside hitter Kiernan Stamey took over. A kill and subsequent block gave Syracuse its first lead since 2-1, and it strung together five straight points to go up two.
Then, Duncan tied the game with two kills as the Razorbacks scored four straight, taking an 18-16 lead. But just like earlier in the set, the Orange responded with five straight points to go up three.
And, of course, Arkansas fought back. A five-point run ended with a failed challenge by Ganesharatnam and put the Razorbacks at set point. Keila Gabriel brought SU within one, but a Laurio service error handed Arkansas a 2-0 lead.
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Things finally went Syracuse’s way in the third set. After a back-and-forth start, Syracuse took a 12-9 lead and didn’t look back. Laurio separated the Orange with two consecutive kills before they capitalized on an attack error, entering the break up 15-10.
Out of the break, Nijenhuis ensured SU’s momentum remained. After Laurio ranged to the sideline and retrieved a ball from going out of play, Arkansas’s offense ran into Nijenhuis on the return. A forceful block at the tape kickstarted a dominant nine-point Syracuse run.
After a service error gave Arkansas a point, Laurio closed the set with an emphatic kill. She accounted for seven kills in the set and led the team with 15 on the day.
“We wanted to maintain our game plan and work on our execution level,” Ganesharatnam said of the third set. “I thought the team did a really good job in that area. I thought we had some players that went on runs and executed pretty well.”
SU’s momentum was short-lived.
Arkansas took a quick 3-1 lead in the fourth set. SU battled back, but Arkansas was on another level in the frame.
Laurio kept the Orange competitive, recording three kills as Syracuse capitalized on a few Arkansas errors. Despite SU’s valiant effort, Arkansas held a comfortable two-point lead into the break.
After that, it was all Razorbacks.
A five-point barrage was stopped briefly by an Emma Williams kill, but Arkansas picked right back up. Sandwiched by Duncan kills, four consecutive Syracuse errors put the final nail in the coffin as Arkansas went on an 11-1 stampede to seal its road victory.
Syracuse accrued 29 attack errors in a fairly competitive match, stymieing its momentum before it could get going.
“I think that’s an area we need to work on and be a little smarter in our execution,” Ganesharatnam said. “We know where we need to make those improvements moving forward.”
