1 year removed from brain surgery, Naomi Franco becomes fixture in SU lineup

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Naomi Franco stepped in at right-side hitter for Syracuse. It was her collegiate debut in Syracuse’s season-opener, and she was positioned next to middle blocker Marina Markova. Pittsburgh outside hitter Jordan Lockwood leapt up for the attack, and Markova and Franco attempted a double block. Lockwood floated the ball past the two blockers for a kill, and Franco was taken out four points later at the end of the set.

For most of the fall season, Franco received limited playing time. Like in the season-opener, she would come in for a few points and then be taken out. But this spring, with outside hitter Polina Shemanova stuck in Russia, Franco has been starting and playing for the majority of games. 

She recorded a career-high 15 kills at right-side hitter against Clemson. But that is a just small part of Franco’s journey — she had a hemorrhage that required brain surgery during the fall of her senior year of high school. Head coach Leonid Yelin called it a “miracle” that she was able to return to volleyball.

“To be making a full recovery and playing the way she was before the surgery couldn’t make me happier,” Yelin said. 

On Dec. 29, 2019, Franco was noticeably absent from practice, said Charlotte Judge, Franco’s coach at the A5 South Volleyball Club and at Fayette County High School. Judge said Franco rarely misses practice, and her being sick didn’t sound right, so she knew something bigger was going on. Later that day, Franco was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.

After the surgery, doctors assured Franco’s family that she would be able to play volleyball again, and the recovery process began. Franco had to learn to walk and talk again, but by March, she was ready to play. The pandemic pushed back her recovery slightly, but she was participating in practices by June.

“She wasn’t just going to not play,” Judge said.

Last March, when Judge realized the pandemic was serious, she thought of Franco and how it might affect her return to the court. Stroke survivors are at an increased risk for complications from COVID-19, and Franco could’ve had the ability to opt out of the season without losing eligibility. But there was no question about coming back in Franco’s mind, Judge said.

Franco’s determination to come back to the sport wasn’t a surprise to Judge, she said. While Franco’s 6-foot-3 frame and athletic ability are apparent when she steps on the court, her work ethic in practice has always stood out to Judge.

“Her work ethic was probably way beyond any of the other athletes I think I coached in my lifetime,” Judge said. “I always had to give her extra stuff to do to make sure she stayed engaged. And she would always do it.”

Franco wouldn’t just push herself to be better, she would push the team to be better. When Dennis Bogumill, Fayette’s former football coach who had never coached volleyball before, took over as head coach of the Tigers, Franco made it her mission to teach him the game of volleyball. 

“There was a whole language to the game and she would sit with me and diagram and teach me everything there is to know,” Bogumill said.

When she finally made it to Syracuse, Franco had a conversation with Yelin about playing in the pandemic. He reiterated that she had the option to opt out, and her scholarship would still be there if she chose not to play.

“We had the same conversation with everyone, and we didn’t want to have a different conversation because of what she went through,” Yelin said. 

There were obvious concerns, but Franco didn’t hesitate in saying she wanted to play a role on the team. And this spring, she’s filled in that role, playing in all four games, starting in three and recording 27 kills in that span.

Judge said Franco’s journey is still far from complete even as she gets more playing time. While Franco is back to her ability prior to the surgery, she still hasn’t quite adjusted to Division I volleyball. Franco has only made two starts, but Judge knows she’ll adjust soon to become an SU star. 

“She’s probably going to have to take in a little bit more than she has because of the heightened competition,” Judge said. “But she has always been the best at whatever level she plays.”