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During Bakeer Ganesharatnam’s media availability on Monday, he said he wanted Syracuse to run a diverse offense. His goal was to put teams under pressure, utilizing depth that he didn’t have last season. In 2023, the Orange were ravaged with injuries and couldn’t get in a rhythm most games. In SU’s first two games of the season, that changed.

“We are more experienced this year, so it allows us to implement things quicker,” Ganesharatnam said. “We have a clear vision about the way we want to play.”

Facing the New Jersey Institute of Technology (0-2, America East) and Lafayette (1-1, Patriot League) at the Salt City classic, Syracuse (2-0, Atlantic Coast Conference) used a 13-player rotation. Nine of the players were making their first appearance with SU. A year before, the Orange used an average of eight players per match. Syracuse’s new pieces helped it to two wins over the Highlanders and Leopards. The Orange dropped just one set across two matches.

Graduate students Ava Palm and Sara Wasiakowska combined for 23 kills against NJIT, 12 and 11, respectively. Palm and Wasiakowska bring the experience Ganesharatnam was asking for, combining 146 appearances before joining Syracuse.

“Coming from the programs I was at (CSU Bakersfield and UTEP) and the conference (Big West) I was at, this is a pretty decent jump,” Palm said. “We’re really excited to showcase what we’ve been working on.”

The most points NJIT scored in a row against Syracuse was four. Cornell transfer Sydney Moore did well for the Orange, providing them with a defensive presence up top. Moore finished with five blocks. The Highlanders found it challenging to find a rhythm as SU dominated all three sets, winning each by at least 10 points.

“I was very clear about what I thought I could bring to the team and what my goals are,” Moore said. “That consistency is something that I really try to pride myself on. I’d like to think that’s a big part of the reason I was brought here,”

Sophomore Veronica Sierzant, who came in for the injured captain Elizabeth Schuster, recorded a double-double in assists (22) and digs (12) as a setter.

“Liz going down was a little bit of a shock, but I thought Veronica stepped in and did a tremendous job,” Ganesharatnam said. “She’s just a sophomore and technically this is the first time she’s setting because last year she had to help out as an outside hitter.”

Lafayette gave Syracuse more of a test in its second game. Unlike NJIT, SU didn’t sweep the Leopards, who took the third set.

With a ten-player rotation, the Orange won the fourth set 25-13. Any time Lafayette was close to scoring, SU came up with a dig.

Syracuse recorded 44 digs against Lafayette, ten more than they registered against NJIT. Freshman Emma Ortiz and Redshirt Freshman Skylar George led the way with nine digs each.

“We want to be fighting for every point,” Ganesharatnam said. “One of the things we talked about is making it very hard for any opponent to score against us. If they score, they have to really earn it.”

Published on August 30, 2024 at 11:01 pm

Contact Quinn: qdpostma@syr.edu