Elena Karakasi’s path back to Greece passes through Syracuse

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At just 15 years old, Syracuse setter Elena Karakasi got her first taste of international competition. She was playing for Greece’s U15 Junior National Team in the Balkan Volleyball Association Championship in 2016. It was the first year Greece had an under 15 team, and Karakasi was the starting setter. Even though the other participating countries had operated U15 teams for years, Karakasi led Greece to a third-place finish, earning a medal in her first international competition.

Playing on the junior team opened up doors in Karakasi’s volleyball career. She was noticed by the Greek women’s national team through playing juniors and has practiced with them since she was 17. But once she graduated from the junior level, she went to play in college at Syracuse, and the NCAA schedule directly conflicts with national team competition, which has prohibited her play in international tournaments — something that holds importance to Karakasi.

“Every time I step on the court wearing the jersey of my national team is very special. I always get the chills listening to the national anthem,” Karakasi said. “Knowing that I’m representing my country is so important.”

Karakasi has kept in contact with the Greek national team coaches and sent her Syracuse game tape to them. She practiced with the team last summer and attended a two-week camp that mixed the current national team players with college players who were invited to practice. Karakasi said being around a variety of different players — most of whom have professional and international experience — has helped her at the college level.

“It was great to be able to see the different styles from different countries,” Karakasi said. “As a setter, setting hitters who are different is always a great experience of how to adjust.”

While playing for Greece, Karakasi had an opportunity to learn from seasoned setters like Stella Christodoulou. Christodoulou plays for one of the biggest club teams in the country, and Karakasi looks up to her aggressive style of play.

Rules like not allowing the libero to serve and enforcing limited substitutions make European volleyball differ from the American game, Karakasi said. Europeans also tend to play a faster-paced game — the biggest adjustment for Karakasi when she practiced with the national team last summer.

Although it’s faster-paced, head coach Leonid Yelin said volleyball in the United States is more competitive, and playing in the NCAA helps prepare players for international competition. Players are under more pressure to win at a young age in the United States than in Europe, he said. Karakasi was surprised by the large emphasis on defensive effort — specifically when it came to diving for balls — after arriving in the U.S. in 2018.

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Karakasi’s return to international play should happen soon, said Nikos Boutsouris, her U18 coach and now Greek national team assistant. Karakasi is currently a senior at Syracuse and could return to Greece within the next year or two, Boutsouris said.

Boutsouris said the team hopes she can fill the role of Christodoulou, since the veteran setter is now 30 years old. He expects Christodoulou to play for a few more years and thinks Karakasi can take over that starting spot in the near future.

The Greek National Team hopes young players like Karakasi could compete in the European Silver League Championships in the spring. Boutsouris said the team wants to watch younger players in action so they can pick which players could be on the team for the 2023 European Championships, if they qualify.

“We have an eye on her ’cause she’s a young, talented setter,” Boutsouris said. “We expect to include her in the women’s national team.”