SU volleyball storylines before ACC play: Erratic offense, net front woes
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It’s been a turbulent four weeks for Syracuse volleyball.
The Orange’s nonconference ebbs and flows have been masked. On one hand, SU dominantly swept Howard, UAlbany and Canisius, with only two sets decided by four or fewer points in the span. The Orange have also been clutch, edging Cornell in a five-set thriller.
However, the Orange were swept by Cincinnati, Illinois and Buffalo. They lost in four to Arkansas and were scared by 2-10 Fairleigh Dickinson, which nearly took a 2-1 lead over SU.
The Orange lack consistency everywhere going into Atlantic Coast Conference play, where SU is 15-61 all-time under head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam.
Here are three storylines before Syracuse (5-4, 0-0 ACC) begins conference play against No. 4 Louisville on Friday:
Double-edged sword offense
When Syracuse’s offense finds rhythm, it’s prolific. The Orange are 4-1 when racking up 40-plus kills.
Setter Charis Burge has doled out offensive responsibilities across multiple hitters and middle blockers. Kiernan Stamey, Keila Gabriel, Abby Nicholson and Emma Williams all have over 50 kills.
“We’ll be trying to diversify our offense, getting our middles involved,” Ganesharatnam said. “Getting good opportunities to have some points scored from our middles, but also opening that up to our pins.”
However, the attack is a double-edged sword. When mistakes pile up, they cost the Orange matches. SU is 2-3 in games with at least 20 attacking errors. The Orange sufficed 60-plus kills in the wins.
If its offense stalls, Syracuse experiences death by a thousand cuts. Against Arkansas, the Orange had 29 attacking mistakes, and their offense couldn’t keep up. Their only victory with under 40 kills thus far was against Howard. Ganesharatnam doesn’t want history repeating itself.
“(Louisville is) going to put a lot of pressure on our passers, but we need to attract those serves, and we need to make sure we stay in system as much as possible, which then gives our setters a good opportunity to put attackers in better positions,” he said.
Syracuse’s Bo Nijenhuis and Keila Gabriel go for a block in SU’s 3-0 defeat to Buffalo on Sept. 20. The Orange will face three top five squads to begin Atlantic Coast Conference play, beginning with No. 5 SMU on Oct. 2. Paul Hakimian | Staff Photographer
Blocking woes
Syracuse’s block has been a defensive liability. The Orange’s 1.61 blocks per set rank last in the ACC, and they’ve been outblocked in all but the UAlbany and Canisius games.
The block seemed to be trending in the right direction early on. SU had double-digit blocks against UAlbany and Arkansas with 21 combined and recorded eight against Cornell.
However, Syracuse didn’t retain its form. In the next three games, the Orange managed 12 blocks. SU denied just three attacks against Canisius and Buffalo, tied for its second-lowest mark this season.
Ganesharatnam said the block is a “work in progress,” but he’s seen netfront improvement. Nicholson, SU’s leading blocker, said blockers and hitters are working on getting in sync.
“It’s really just about building that connection. Middle blockers with the pin hitters,” Nicholson said. “So as time goes on, we will build that connection, and just the repetitiveness, continuing to practice will help a lot.”
Back-row rallies
When the offense and block struggle, the back row props them up. The Orange recorded 40-plus digs in six matches and won five. Syracuse ranks eighth in digs per set and third in kills against per set in the ACC.
While SU’s defense started slow, compiling a season-low 23 digs in its opener against Cincinnati, it’s become the Orange’s most formidable unit.
The defense is held together by libero Yuka Urano, who averages 3.13 digs per set and has 97 total this season. Offensive players like Stamey, Marie Laurio, Burge and Bella Rodriguez have aided Urano on the back row and round out the top five dig contributors.
“We understand that we need to play defense as a team,” Ganesharatnam said.
In particular, Laurio and Rodriguez have become mainstays on the back row. Laurio sustained an early-season injury — limiting her offensive abilities — but has contributed 60 digs. Rodriguez didn’t play a full match until Sept. 3, but her nine-dig performances against Buffalo — which led SU — and Arkansas have given her a rotational spot.
While Syracuse ended nonconference play with a 29-dig straight-sets loss to the Bulls, the defense can prove that was a fluke in the upcoming ACC gauntlet against three top-five opponents — No. 4 Louisville, No. 5 SMU and No. 2 Pittsburgh.
