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Gabriella McLaughlin has been in the midst of a slump it seemed she couldn’t escape — especially on the attack. Throughout Syracuse’s extensive losing streak, she hadn’t eclipsed 15 kills since it took down Boston College in five sets on Oct. 22. That was also the Orange’s most recent win.

It wasn’t that McLaughlin was getting less whacks at the volleyball. Ahead of Friday’s contest, she averaged 43.7 attacks per game. The senior broke that threshold in three of SU’s five previous matches, which were all losses.

Rather, it was McLaughlin’s accuracy. In the victory over the Eagles, she was flying high at a 28.3% clip with 22 kills. SU returned home to face BC two days later, and her slump began.

McLaughlin connected on a season-low 2.3% of her 43 attempts. Nine kills was a down day for the captain — a testament to the expectations she merits. That was only the fourth match to that point where she finished in single digits.

Her attack rate dipped to a flat zero in SU’s latest loss to Georgia Tech five days ago. Throughout the Orange’s last five games, she never eclipsed 15.5%. The production was stagnant, but the accuracy needed some tune-ups.

McLaughlin shoved her cold spell aside, notching a game-high 21 kills and a 28.6% hitting percentage in Syracuse’s (13-12, 5-10 Atlantic Coast) four-set loss to Wake Forest (12-14, 6-9 ACC). Totaling nine kills, nearly half her total, in the third frame, the Orange were outmatched in their serve receive, serve and defense. She was the sunshine in a dormant sky in the Orange’s frustrating defeat.

“I think the last couple matches, she was really struggling for the first time this season on serve receive and even more on the offense,” SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said.

When things don’t go McLaughlin’s way, her plan is simple. She smiles through the adversity and focuses on the next point.

“I tend to get blocked a lot. I just have a goldfish memory,” McLaughlin said after Syracuse’s loss to then-No. 21 North Carolina on Oct. 19. “It’s just one point. So I just got to move on to the next and I just remind myself everyone gets blocked. It’s no big deal.”

McLaughlin hardly got blocked Friday. It was her most accurate match at the net since her season-high 23-kill performance in a loss at Virginia on Oct. 5, when she attacked at a 31.6% clip.

She made sure to start off on the right note, lacing her first attack of the match, off a feed from Tehya Maeva, down the left line to knot the first set at two apiece.

McLaughlin’s and Maeva’s on-court connection roots from their long-lasting friendship. They’ve known each other since they were in high school playing for WAVE Volleyball Club in San Diego, California. After sharing the court for two years at Nevada, the two transferred to Syracuse together and have captained SU to its best ACC record in three years.

On Friday, Maeve assisted McLaughlin on 16 of her 21 kills. They connected on eight of McLaughlin’s nine tallies in the third frame.

“We have to give a lot of credit to Tehya. Setting (McLaughlin) up to be able to do that and produce for our team is so great,” outside hitter Marie Laurio said.

McLaughlin even found ways to get the job done without her partner in crime. As part of a four-kill first set, up 20-17, rather than settling for a dig, pushing the ball to Maeva and then looking to drive home the kill, the senior took a different route. She pegged the first shot off a Demon Deacons’ attack and threaded the ball under Rian Baker’s legs.

It was the second set, though, when McLaughlin hit her groove. Coming out of a timeout, down 23-18, she punctuated a strike off Paige Crawford’s left fist. That was one of seven kills for the frame.

She hit her climax in the third. Whether that was moving the volleyball from left to right, capitalizing on a headshot on Becca Bellows or squeezing a kill under a diving Emma Farrell, it seemed that McLaughlin couldn’t be stopped.

“She’s a big part of our offense. She just goes out every game and gives it her all. And today, she had a great performance,” outside hitter Sydnie Waller said.

While her showing didn’t translate to a win, McLaughlin has found her groove. SU’s six-match losing streak has been ugly, and her performance didn’t live up to the standard she set, leading its outside hitter room all season.

But knowing its star outside hitter has found her footing entering the home stretch of the campaign is an encouraging sign that Syracuse has the tools to break out of the slump.

“I’m really proud of her performance today. I thought she did a really good job bouncing back,” Ganesharatnam said.

Published on November 14, 2025 at 10:11 pm
jaglick@syr.edu | @jason_glick