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Following a dramatic five-set victory at Boston College on Oct. 22, Syracuse stood at 5-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Gabriella McLaughlin had just totaled her fourth 20-plus-kill game of the season and appeared to be one of the most impactful transfers in the country alongside fellow Nevada transfer Tehya Maeva.

It looked like Syracuse would shatter its highest conference win total (seven) under SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam. And the Orange could’ve potentially made a push for their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018.

But 38 days and 11 games later, that victory against the Golden Eagles was Syracuse’s last of its 2025 campaign.

These are the numbers that contributed to Syracuse’s (13-17, 5-15 ACC) collapse in 2025:

16.4 conference hitting percentage

Entering the season, Ganesharatnam’s vision was clear: diversify SU’s offense. For him, he said preseason that looked like having “multiple options from the front row and back row.”

For a Syracuse attack that lacks height on the outside, that strategy seemed plausible. Skylar George (6-foot) and McLaughlin (5-foot-8) would likely struggle to power balls through the arms of ACC frontlines, like Louisville’s Cara Creese (6-foot-6) and Hannah Sherman (6-foot-3).

That’s exactly what happened in conference play, with Syracuse posting a 16.4% hitting clip, ranking 16th in the ACC. Volume wasn’t the issue — SU averaged slightly under 135 attempts per game, up from 131.3 last season. But its inefficiency held it back.

In its season-ending 11-game losing streak, Syracuse hit above 18.7% just once and registered a negative hitting percentage against two of the conference’s elite defenses in Pittsburgh and SMU.

Any possibility of a final offensive surge in the season finale against Virginia Tech’s porous defense, which allowed the highest hitting percentage in conference play, immediately subsided when the Orange hit 12.2% in the first set en route to a 3-1 defeat.

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McLaughlin’s 24.2% vs. 14.6% splits

In sports, it’s a common saying that a “team goes as far as its star player goes.” For Syracuse, that sentiment rang true.

Through 10 nonconference games, McLaughlin hit at a 24.2% clip, but in ACC play, that number dipped to 13.1%. Her splits precisely align with SU’s performance. The team boasted an 8-2 record in its nonconference slate compared to a 5-15 record in conference play. During its losing streak, the Temecula, California, native hit above 16.1% just once.

McLaughlin’s conference struggles can be explained by the simple fact that the Orange faced better defenses, but that doesn’t tell the full story. SU’s inability to get its middle blockers involved on offense forced McLaughlin and George to shoulder almost the entire load offensively.

It’s not a coincidence that McLaughlin’s highest hitting percentage during the losing streak (28.6%) came against Wake Forest, as middle blocker Soana Lea’ea registered a 42.9% hitting percentage. Postgame, Ganesharatnam emphasized the importance of continuing that trend.

“We wanted to get the middles more involved coming into the match,” Ganesharatnam said. “I thought both middles did a really good job transitioning and making themselves available. And Soana in particular had a really good offensive game.”

But the Orange never lived up to that again, sliding down the conference standings. Despite McLaughlin’s inefficiency, the senior still ranked seventh in the ACC in kills per set (3.77).

Maeva’s 9.21 assists per set

One consistent positive in 2025 for the Orange was Maeva’s presence as a setter. Like McLaughlin, there were questions about how Maeva would transition to playing in the ACC — one of the premier volleyball conferences — especially after being introduced to setting in her junior year of high school.

But the junior removed any lingering doubt in this campaign, ranking eighth in the ACC in assists per set (9.21). Maeva’s season-high 54 assists against Boston College were tied for the eighth-highest single-game mark by an ACC player this season.

Ganesharatnam frequently relayed how important it was for Syracuse to serve aggressively. The Orange were often physically outmatched by their ACC counterparts, so logically, it made sense for Syracuse to try to make up for that deficiency through its serves.

The San Diego, California, native did exactly that, notching 29 aces, only trailing George’s 30.

2.07 blocks per set

Although Syracuse improved its conference record by two wins in 2025, its blocking success took a major step back. In 2024, the Orange dominated on the block, ranking fifth in the ACC in blocks per set (2.53). That number fell to 2.07 in 2025, dropping SU to 15th in the ACC.

One reason for that decline was the loss of Anastasiia Nikolnikova, who transferred to Baylor. Nikolnikova, standing at 6-foot-4, led the team with 99 blocks last season. Zharia Harris-Waddy replaced her admirably, totaling 91 blocks, but Nikolnikova’s 6-foot-4 frame was sorely missed.

A 14-block game against Notre Dame was one of SU’s top moments of the season, but SU’s overall consistency was simply not there in that department. SU recorded five blocks or fewer on seven occasions in conference play.

“Blocking is a big part of our team defense. We know we’re smaller than a lot of the teams we’re going to play, if not all of the teams we’re going to play in conference,” Ganesharatnam said.

Published on December 2, 2025 at 11:14 pm
Contact Sumner: sbaines@syr.edu | @Sumner__Baines