Data Dive: SU volleyball experiences growing pains in historically poor season
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Syracuse’s first play of the season was a sign of things to come. Navy’s Jamie Llewellyn recorded an ace and Syracuse went on to lose in straight sets, the first of a program-record 20 this season.
Syracuse volleyball has won just two of its 24 matches, dropping all 14 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team’s .083 winning percentage is not just the lowest in program history but the lowest by 15 points. Both offensively and defensively, the Orange rank in the bottom ten nationally.
Syracuse has struggled to stay healthy. Outside hitters Cherlin Antonio and Ariana Joubert are ruled out for the season. Raina Hughes and middle blocker Laila Smith missed significant time. The constant flow of injuries decimated what was already a thin roster, forcing the Orange to play players out of position.
Greta Schlichter has been forced into an outside hitter role, a position that makes her five-foot-six stature a disadvantage defensively. Syracuse ranks dead last in the ACC and 326th out of 332 teams nationally in blocks per set.
“Her biggest disadvantage on the outside is the blocking,” SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said after SU’s loss to Georgia Tech, “If I were coaching against her, I’d target her as well.”
Schlichter’s natural position is in the back row where she specializes in digging out opponent’s attacks. Her move closer to the net has not only hurt SU’s blocking production but has also influenced the team’s ability to receive. Syracuse ranks dead last in the ACC, and 329th out of 332 teams nationally in digs per set, with opponents easily converting kills against Syracuse. The Orange’s poor defense has also allowed opponents to garner a .303 hitting percentage, the second-highest mark in the country.
The offensive end isn’t much better for Syracuse. With inexperienced hitters cycled in due to injuries, the Orange’s attack has been subpar. They’ve recorded just 9.08 kills per set, dead last in the ACC and bottom ten nationally.
Previously, Syracuse could rely on Polina Shemanova, the program’s all-time leader in kills, for offense. But since her graduation after an underwhelming 2022 season, the Orange have failed to replace her production.
Antonio had served as Syracuse’s best offensive option prior to being ruled out indefinitely with a knee injury. Her absence has amplified SU’s scoring struggles in recent weeks.
“(Cherlin) is our only healthy true hitter, that makes her a target for the opposing team to attack.” Ganesharatnam said after Syracuse’s loss to Duke.
When Antonio was healthy, Syracuse set the ball to her so frequently that teams began hitting the ball directly toward her, attempting to take Antonio out of play by forcing her to pass the ball.
While Smith and freshman Zharia Harris-Waddy have developed a partnership in the middle of the court, the revolving door of outside hitters has been inconsistent. The Orange rank 328th nationally with a .091 hitting percentage.
The struggles on both offense and defense have led Syracuse to win just eight sets this season, two of which were during ACC play. Of all Power Five programs, Syracuse has the worst RPI rating (258) — a calculation based on team winning percentage, opponents’ winning percentage, and opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage — with the second worst being Alabama at 220.
In Ganesharatnam’s second season at SU, he preached patience. He said the Orange need more time to “put together a team that can compete consistently in the top half of the conference.”
“The only way to compete in this conference in the short term is to make our players better, but that requires time… that’s not done in a month or two,” Ganesharatnam said.
