Syracuse volleyball sweeps Howard for 1st win of 2026
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Coming into Ithaca Thursday, Syracuse volleyball hadn’t won a game in 316 days. A 13-game losing streak plagued the squad. It fought to wipe that slate clean.
But, to do that, SU had to overcome some adversity.
Aileen McAllister — in the middle of a dominant four kill, 50% hitting first set — suffered an injury and didn’t return. In the third set, SU was caught off guard by a reinvigorated Howard attack that tallied 14 kills to SU’s 12.
Alas, Syracuse (1-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) prevailed, sweeping Howard (0-3, 0-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic) for its first victory since Oct. 22, 2025. Another standout performance from Kiernan Stamey coupled with the two-way prowess of Charis Burge helped the Orange bounce back.
Anyone watching the first set would be forgiven for believing Syracuse would run away with the match. Up 18-7, SU controlled the game and the statsheet, racking up 11 kills and four service aces while only accruing two attacking errors and four service errors.
Junior setter Sophie Vienna, despite not playing much, was responsible for two of the four service aces in the first set, ending as SU’s match leader in aces.
Offensively, freshman outside hitter McAllister led the way. After a dismal opening weekend, recording two kills and seven errors in 17 attempts, McAllister found form with the four kills, no errors and a 50% hitting percentage.
However, her hot streak ended prematurely after she injured her left leg during a routine attacking attempt late in the first set. The severity of McAllister’s injury is unknown.
Her loss wasn’t immediately felt, as Syracuse took care of business in the first set, winning 25-13. But for much of the second set, Howard stuck around despite hitting 13% less than SU. It took until a third of the way through set two for Stamey to notch four kills.
After going back-and-forth, Syracuse’s newfound offensive consistency eventually outpaced Howard’s top-heavy defense. A Stamey rocket put the set out of reach, and an Abby Nicholson ace ended it at 25-18.
Before the game, head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam mentioned that there was room for improvement, particularly in blocking limiting unforced errors.
“I think what we need to work on is stabilizing every component throughout the entirety of the match and minimizing our unforced errors,” Ganesharatnam said, also noting that blocking was “a work in progress.”
SU managed to minimize errors, committing a season-low 10 to Howard’s 16. However, the blocking was indeed a work in progress, as Howard controlled the net with five blocks to SU’s three. All of Howard’s blocks came in the final two sets.
The Bison stampeded the Orange in the third set, jumping out to an early 8-5 lead. Playing from behind has been a familiar position for Syracuse this season, as it hardly led before Thursday.
SU wasn’t about to let its golden opportunity for a win slip, though, at least not Keila Gabriel. One of the sophomore’s three third-set kills helped tie the game at eight before fifth-year middle blocker Bo Nijenhuis took the lead.
Syracuse only relinquished it once more before a Howard mishandle gave it back. Another Gabriel kill solidified it. Syracuse had a season-high eight players contribute kills.
While Howard’s offense continued applying pressure to SU’s defense — recording more third-set kills than Syracuse — freshman Burge held firm, leading Syracuse with nine digs. Stamey and Yuka Urano aided the effort with eight and seven respectively.
A Burge dig made it 23-20 and put the Orange over the top. Her and Stamey’s connection also shined, as Burge recorded 22 assists along with Stamey’s 10 kills.
Despite many of his players lacking experience, Ganesharatnam says the beauty of the program is that any player can get a chance to shine.
“If you come out and you produce and you show that you can give us a chance to win, you will get the opportunity no matter what your age is or class,” Ganesharatnam said.
After two tough losses, Ganesharatnam trusted the team he built. His reward was a long-awaited victory.
