Syracuse volleyball’s rebuild began by recruiting novel talent worldwide
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Syracuse head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam is no stranger to recruiting. Fifteen years leading Temple and SU have provided him ample experience. But his most recent recruitment cycle tested that experience.
Every season since he arrived in 2022, Ganesharatnam had a few veterans to build around, even when Syracuse brought in several new faces each offseason. However, following a disastrous 11-game losing streak to end 2025, 16 of 17 players departed, forcing Ganesharatnam into his toughest task yet. Entering 2026, his only remaining player was sophomore Marie Laurio.
Ganesharatnam had to rebuild SU from scratch. Yet at this point, he understood which type of players work in his system.
“We really like high volleyball IQ players, technically sound players that can possibly even play multiple positions,” Ganesharatnam said. “(And) we’re looking for players that can be good teammates.”
Using that as a guideline, Ganesharatnam brought in 15 players from across the world to revamp SU’s roster. The team learned Syracuse’s playstyle in the preseason and made numerous adjustments to the lineup during its nonconference slate in preparation for its Atlantic Coast Conference gauntlet. The process hasn’t been seamless. But the moments where Ganesharatnam’s vision comes together on the court have given the Orange (5-4, 0-0 ACC) an eager competitiveness to keep going.
That competitiveness is what drew most new players to Syracuse initially. Fourteen of SU’s 15 new additions never played Power Four volleyball and were excited to play in the ACC.
“It’s a big conference, and there are a lot of stronger teams than us, so it’s a little challenging, but I like that situation,” said Yuka Urano, one of SU’s liberos and team captains.
Teammates echoed similar sentiments, although other aspects drew players to central New York.
Senior Mira Ledermueller left Syracuse after the 2024 season to be UT Arlington’s starting setter. After 2025, she noticed SU’s bare roster and decided to return.
Ledermueller quickly made an impact on the team’s culture as it began filling out the roster. She’s had a mentor-like role with Charis Burge, helping the freshman setter grow into the starting spot. Ledermueller also aided with recruiting.
Junior Emma Williams recalled hopping on a call with Ledermueller and Laurio when SU was recruiting her. On the call, Williams felt a good connection forming between the three, and it led her to transfer from Montana to Syracuse.
“Those conversations just really led me to believe that this was the place I wanted to be,” Williams said. “The team culture, the work ethic really made me feel like I wanted to come.”
Those connections continued to flourish throughout preseason, although it took some time to fully settle in.
We really like high volleyball IQ players and technically sound players that can possibly even play multiple positionsBakeer Ganesharatnam, Syracuse head coach
Adapting to Syracuse’s new system was the first task. SU’s style demands versatility both offensively and defensively. That required the offense and defense to find a good rhythm within their respective units, said Ledermueller and Anna Smith, a transfer libero from Coastal Carolina. However, the two sides weren’t in isolated bubbles in practice.
“We have a lot of energy and passion within our team, and everyone also values bringing energy into practices, so that has definitely helped us to grow close in a very short period of time,” Ledermueller said.
However, teamwork could only take the squad so far. The group was still inexperienced, especially against Power Four competition. Ganesharatnam threw his squad into the deep end with opening matches against Cincinnati and Illinois, saying they’d help the team improve and acclimate to ACC level of play.
The Orange lost in straight sets to both opponents, but the team showed flashes of brilliance, particularly when they took Cincinnati to the brink in a 27-25 first-set loss.
“They took on the competition. It’s very easy to walk into a Big Ten team (and) get overwhelmed,” Ganesharatnam said after the Illinois game. “But I think the team overall, especially the young players, did a good job taking on that challenge.”
While the next three matches in Ithaca didn’t provide ACC-tier competition, Syracuse had to contend with the injury bug. Aileen McAllister and Laurio, two early standout hitters, both suffered injuries. But the team rallied together around the setback.
Pin hitters Keila Gabriel and Williams subbed in alongside Kiernan Stamey. All three thrived on either side of the offense as Burge teed them up. Blockers Abby Nicholson and Bo Nijenhuis joined in offensively and improved their netfront techniques. On the back row, Urano kept SU in games with timely digs, and Laurio pushed through her injury to help defensively.
Ganesharatnam finally saw the fruits of his labor when the Orange defeated Howard and UAlbany in back-to-back sweeps and went up 2-1 against Cornell.
However, a disastrous fourth set put SU on the back foot against the Big Red. On the sideline, Ganesharatnam seemed to understand he’d done everything he could to build a team for this moment. He trusted the players and put the game in their hands.
Twenty-six points later, the Orange rushed the court in celebration. The game was far from perfect, but Ganesharatnam’s team developed character beyond his expectations when he built it.
“Certainly not pretty; there were times where the performance and quality were not up to the status we wanted,” Ganesharatnam said. “However, the team stayed together, worked together, focused on the basics and showed a lot of resiliency.”
Syracuse’s season hasn’t been perfect after Ithaca; the Orange lost games to Arkansas and Buffalo in agonizing fashion. The ACC slate won’t offer any breaks, as SU will play three ranked teams — No. 4 Louisville, No. 5 SMU and No. 2 Pitt — in its first four conference games.
Ganesharatnam knows the season will be difficult and that there’s room for improvement. However, he also knows his Syracuse squad is a resilient bunch. He’s seen them do it before, and it brought his offseason vision to life. It brought Syracuse success.
