Pivotal players to watch after Syracuse volleyball’s 3-2 start to 2026
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Syracuse volleyball’s mass exodus left a major void in its lineup entering 2026. Bakeer Ganesharatnam has done all he can to fill it.
SU’s head coach rolled out four different starting lineups in the Orange’s five matches thus far, featuring 11 of Syracuse’s 16 players. Only two — Kiernan Stamey and Charis Burge — have started all five contests.
After a rough opening stretch, Ganesharatnam’s experiment is starting to pay off. Syracuse won three straight games last weekend, staving off a ferocious comeback by Cornell Saturday to cap its trip to Ithaca. Sophomore Yuka Urano and fifth-year Abby Nicholson flourished in SU’s weekend sweep, proving they can be core contributors.
SU’s roster ranges from freshmen to graduate students, but Ganesharatnam says he doesn’t care about a player’s age or class year as long as they give Syracuse a chance to win. So far, these players have:
Kiernan Stamey
Before the season, Kennesaw State transfer Stamey said she was ready to become a starting outside hitter at the Power Four level. In two seasons with the Owls, Stamey was never their first option. By transferring to Syracuse, there was a chance that would change.
“I feel like we’re getting to a really good spot to take that position,” Stamey said during the preseason.
Being the starter — especially in the Atlantic Coast Conference — is new to Stamey, but she’s thrived through five matches.
Stamey has double-digit kills in every match this season and leads Syracuse with 63, almost double Nicholson’s second-best 32. She also ranks eighth in the ACC in kills per set.
Defensively, Stamey ranks second on the Orange with 36 digs and 10 blocks. She recorded a double-double against Cornell with 14 kills and 12 digs and was a dig shy against Illinois.
But Stamey hasn’t been perfect. She made 14 attacking errors against Cornell and leads Syracuse with 32 total, more than double Marie Laurio’s second-worst 13.
Yuka Urano
Filling Rana Yamada’s shoes seemed challenging entering the season. Matching Yamada’s 2025 production meant making up 389 digs.
Urano, a Navarro College transfer, has filled that hole. She beat out Anna Smith and Queen Howse for SU’s starting job despite not playing D-I before Aug. 29 against Cincinnati. She held her own with six digs that game.
Yuka Urano winds up to serve for Syracuse in its win over UAlbany on Sept. 4. In her first season with the Orange, Urano has been tasked with filling a hole at libero. Courtesy of SU Athletics
She’s remained a welcome presence on the Orange’s defense since, averaging three digs per set and logging six aces and 16 assists. Her best performance came against Cornell on Sept. 5, when she posted 23 digs.
Yamada was still a rung above, though, averaging 3.5 digs per set last season. Even though Urano was named the Cornell Invitational MVP, she’s been shadowed by Yamada’s success.
Abby Nicholson
Syracuse’s blocking has been a work in progress to start the season.
The Orange were outblocked in their first three matches, totaling just nine in that span. Nicholson, a fifth-year middle blocker, contributed to six of them.
“(Blocking is) probably one of the areas that needs the most time to improve,” Ganesharatnam said Tuesday. “We’re a work in progress, and it’s not going to be a final product.”
Although the unit has been weak, Nicholson has been a bright spot. Ganesharatnam said she “invests so much” in volleyball, and her investment has shown in matches.
After recording six blocks in SU’s first three matches, Nicholson contributed to thwarting seven attacks against UAlbany and Cornell. She also added 20 kills in those games.
“We’re seeing a lot of improvements already, and we’re on the right track and on a good path here,” Ganesharatnam said. “So we’re gonna keep working hard and keep improving in blocking.”
Charis Burge
After notching a career-high 943 assists last season with UT Arlington, senior setter Mira Ledermueller returned to Syracuse. She spent her first two collegiate campaigns with the Orange and seemed to be Tehya Maeva’s successor.
But that hasn’t been the case. Ganesharatnam started Burge at setter for SU’s season opener. Burge, who’s from a family of college volleyball players, began practicing with Syracuse in the spring.
“I think that really set her in a good position to compete realistically for playing time from the beginning of the season,” Ganesharatnam said.
Charis Burge sets the ball in Syracuse’s win over UAlbany on Sept. 4. Although Mira Ledermueller returned to SU this season, Burge has starred as one of the Orange’s main setters. Courtesy of SU Athletics
Burge hasn’t looked back since starting against Cincinnati. She’s tallied 20-plus assists in each match, including 50 against Cornell, and her 8.59 assists per set rank 10th in the ACC.
Burge said her ball distribution has helped her establish connections with Syracuse’s hitters. In her first two games, she found Stamey and Laurio in most sets. Against Cornell, Burge got Nicholson, Keila Gabriel and Emma Williams involved. Three Orange pin hitters — Stamey, Gabriel and Williams — ended that game with double-digit kills, and Nicholson recorded nine.
Honorable mentions
Syracuse has started three players at right-side hitter, each of whom had standout games.
Laurio was SU’s first-choice at the position. The sophomore — Syracuse’s only returner this season — racked up 24 kills, 16 digs and a double-double against Cincinnati and Illinois and sported a 20% hitting mark in SU’s first two matches.
However, she was limited in Ithaca, forcing Gabriel and Williams to step up.
Gabriel didn’t receive significant playing time until Syracuse’s third set against Howard, but her three-kill performance propelled her into a starting role against UAlbany and Cornell. The sophomore totaled eight kills against the Great Danes and a team-best 16 against the Big Red.
Williams had a similar story, not playing until SU faced Howard. She shined with her opportunity against Cornell, though, matching Stamey’s 14 kills while adding eight digs.
Although the Orange haven’t established a clear No. 1, they’ve proven they can still succeed with Laurio, Gabriel and Williams.
“I don’t think we need a superstar,” Ganesharatnam said. “We just need a really good team, really good teammates that believe in each other and work together in order for us to be successful.”
