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During Syracuse’s trip to Virginia in September, Marie Laurio roomed with SU graduate student Oreva Evivie. While hanging out, Evivie came across a TEDx Talk on YouTube. It featured a fifth-grade version of Laurio, who was instantly embarrassed.

The video, titled “Small Groups can make a Big Impact,” showed Laurio delivering a speech. She hoped nobody would find it. But now that Evivie had, Laurio hesitantly gave her permission to press play.

“I hadn’t watched it in a while,” Laurio said. “I watched it with her, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I did do that.’”

Laurio’s been plunged into uncomfortable situations her whole life. Speaking in front of a TEDx Talk audience took guts. So did enduring a position switch in the 19th game of her freshman season with Syracuse. A natural outside hitter from the left side, she’s been asked to play on the right with SU. So far, she’s excelled outside of her comfort zone, totaling 51 kills and 80 digs in 40 sets this season.

“She’s capable of playing six rotations on the right side. It gives us an additional backward attacker,” SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said after a loss to Boston College on Oct. 24.

Laurio always played on the left. That’s where she built her storied high school and club careers in her home state of Michigan. That’s the position she was recruited to SU to play.

“You train as a pin (hitter) on both sides,” Laurio said. “It wasn’t my primary position, but I’m really happy that I’m able to step into this role for my team.”

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At Syracuse, Laurio’s role wasn’t as clear-cut as it was in high school. She made the second squad for Legacy Volleyball Club — now the No. 1 volleyball club in the United States — as an eighth grader, making the first team the following year.

Laurio briefly served as a defensive specialist in her freshman year at Saline High School (Michigan) in her initial exposure to high school volleyball. But soon enough, despite being slightly undersized, she transitioned to the outside and thrived.

“She’s a very smooth, athletic kid that really jumps out of the gym,” Legacy director Bryan Lindstrom said. “She gets up, hangs and is very smart with what she does with the ball.”

Laurio’s volleyball prowess was clear. But she had another predicament. Laurio was also playing travel soccer, softball and basketball — sports she picked up well before she started volleyball in seventh grade. Yet, her mind was set.

“Without hesitation,” her mother, Beth Laurio, said. “Volleyball was taking precedence, as far as the national team that she was on through Legacy.”

The decision unlocked an opportunity to play in Orlando, Florida, for her 15s AAU national championship, which Legacy won.

“That was the defining moment,” Beth said.

From there, Laurio took off as an outside hitter. At Saline, she racked up 1,426 kills, 1,171 digs, 451 blocks, 145 aces and 82 assists. She helped the Hornets to four straight top-3 finishes in the Southeastern-Red division.

Her biggest test came when she was 17. Lindstrom called upon her to serve as an injury replacement for the 2023 18s USA qualifier tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

However, she couldn’t get out of bed before the first match. Laurio had food poisoning and had to skip the 8 a.m. contest. But for the second game, Lindstrom stuck her in the lineup.

“She dragged herself out there, played defensive specialist, and then went right back to bed,” Lindstrom said.

Marie Laurio smashes a ball over the net in SU’s win over Siena. After racking up 1,000-plus kills and digs in high school, Laurio has followed that up with a strong freshman season at Syracuse. Jonathan Theodore | Staff Photographer

Once her recruitment opened that June, Laurio was launched into her most precarious position. She went to sleep on June 14, 2023, without checking her phone, wanting to deal with it in the morning.

When she awoke, she had received 35 emails from volleyball coaches around the nation. But Laurio was relaxed. After taking it call by call, it was clear SU was the place for her. With a Legacy pipeline that sent alum Ashlee Gnau to Syracuse, combined with a Newhouse School of Public Communications education, Laurio’s decision was a no-brainer.

“She was nonchalant about it,” her father, Paul Laurio, said. “She embraced it.”

Ganesharatnam and Co. admired Laurio’s qualities when recruiting her. They look for versatility and use players in unfamiliar positions.

“They really talked about how they see me as an all-around player,” Laurio said. “They like to see me in the front and back row, and they talked about how that fits into their program.”

Take Veronica Sierzant, for example — a setter who can now play right-side hitter. Or Laurio’s counterpart, Sydnie Waller, who was recruited to SU as an outside hitter and is now on the right.

Laurio started on the left in the Orange’s opening contests against Niagara and Rider in August. She couldn’t get much going at the net, posting hitting rates of -.067 and .167. Skylar George, one of Syracuse’s starters from 2024, closed both matches in Laurio’s place and reclaimed her starting spot.

As a result, Laurio never played in more than two sets in any of Syracuse’s next 16 games. She was used sparingly, earning her best attack rate of the season — 66.7% — at the end of a blowout victory over Siena on Sept. 19. Though her playing time fluctuated, she remained unfazed.

“Something I talk about a lot is just doing your job, whether you are on the court or on the bench,” Laurio said after a loss to Colgate on Sept. 13.

The Orange’s outside hitter group is deep. With Gabriella McLaughlin and George occupying the two starting spots, there wasn’t room for Laurio.

But against Boston College on Oct. 22, that changed. Waller misplaced all six of her attacks from the right side in the first set. Laurio hadn’t played the position, but after dropping the first frame, the Orange needed a spark.

In Syracuse’s most competitive match of the season, Laurio entered and delivered her first double-double — 10 kills and 13 digs — en route to victory.

“We felt like we needed a little bit more production on the right side from an offensive standpoint, but also a defensive standpoint,” Ganesharatnam said postgame.

Still, the Orange opted for Waller against then-No. 15 Miami on Nov. 2. Ganesharatnam cited Waller’s more physical block presence as the reason why, especially against the Hurricanes’ top pin hitters.

The following week, though, Laurio returned and posted a career-high 16 digs in Syracuse’s defeat to Clemson on Nov. 7. She played at least two sets in each of SU’s next three contests.

It’s expected that Laurio will continue rotating with Waller on the right side. And they’re both fine with that.

“She’s just Marie. She’s our little freshman. She’s grown a lot in IQ and learning from the vets,” Waller said. “She’s grown a lot in skill, but mentality, too.”

“Wherever the team needs me, that’s where I need to go,” Laurio said.

Waller, Sierzant, McLaughlin and five others have confirmed their departures after the season, leaving 858 kills — 68.9% of Syracuse’s attack production — and multiple pin-hitter spots to be claimed in 2026. No matter what side she’s asked to attack from, Laurio’s mindset will be constant — she’ll be relaxed.

“I wasn’t as comfortable on the right side as I’ve been on the outside most of the time,” Laurio said. “It took me a little bit to adjust to it, but now that I’m able to do it, I have been able to produce for my team.”

Published on November 19, 2025 at 9:35 pm
Contact Jason: jaglick@syr.edu | @jason_glick