Syracuse volleyball spikes Cavaliers, gets first ACC win in over a year

The Syracuse volleyball team wanted nothing more than one thing tonight, expressed best by junior outside hitter Kiernan Stamey: “Win.”

The Orange did just that, defeating the Virginia Cavaliers in four sets to snap a year-long ACC losing streak. Stamey led the team to a victory, notching 15 kills and 18 digs to record her third double-double this season.

This win did not come without peril, however, with Virginia scoring at least 19 points in all four sets, providing late-set pressure for the Orange. The Cavaliers took momentum early with pinpoint attacks that the Orange were unable to respond to.

After taking an early 7-1 lead, the Cavaliers held all the momentum and SU’s victory seemed unlikely until the Orange finally scored consecutive points to make it 8-3. 

Virginia, however, did not back down, using its quickness and great team chemistry to its advantage, taking a 15-11 lead into the first-set media timeout. 

Syracuse struggled to answer Virginia’s serves, as the Cavaliers entered the media timeout with four service aces.

The Cavaliers continued firing on all cylinders after the break, going on a 2-1 run and forcing SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam to call a timeout to regroup his squad. They came out swinging, recording a 4-0 run to force a Virginia timeout.

After the break, Virginia did what it did best throughout the first set, coming out of the break swinging. The Cavaliers forced SU to call its last timeout of the set after exploding on a 3-0 run to take a 22-16 lead on two kills and a block from Ohio State transfer Reese Wuebker. 

The Cavaliers had five service aces in the first set, with the serve receive issues leaving the Orange at a deficit for the entire frame.  

Syracuse showed a new energy in the second set, presenting more aggression and confidence. The Orange used its momentum to take a 7-5 lead after their largest scoring run of the match up to that point, with a 5-0 run following two errors and three consecutive kills by SU, forcing UVA to call a timeout. 

Despite the fiery attack from Virginia, Syracuse found itself leading at the second set media timeout, 15-13, with the majority of the points coming off nine kills.

Offensive firepower from both sides saw the set go to extra points.

After the back-and-forth second set, which saw 13 ties and nine lead changes, the Orange prevailed to pick up their second set victory in ACC play, 26-24 after three Virginia attack errors.

The Orange took control of the third set late after letting up a 9-4 run in the beginning. They won it 25-23 after a kill from Stamey to give Syracuse its first match lead in ACC play this season, 2-1. 

Syracuse, within striking distance of its first ACC win of the season, showed just how hungry it was for the win in the fourth set. The Orange electrified the Women’s Building, starting on a 4-0 run. Virginia would not go down without a fight, answering back with a 5-0 run of its own. 

The fourth set was a game of big runs, with Syracuse and Virginia trading runs of four and five points before the Orange exploded on a 5-0 run, taking the lead at the media timeout for the third straight set. 

“I know this win is long overdue,” Ganesharatnam said. “We had some really good matches before this as well, that did not result in wins.”

Syracuse continued to battle and clinched the victory 25-19, starting the celebration in the 315. 

“I thought Virginia did a really good job,” Ganesharatnam said. “They’re big and physical. The block obviously is a big challenge and they did a really good job on the defensive end.”

The win gives the Orange their first ACC victory at home since Oct. 17, 2025, when they swept Duke. 

Stamey led the way for the Orange with her third double-double of the season. She finished with 15 kills and 18 digs.

For the first time in conference play this season, Syracuse outhit its opponent, .133 to .111. Despite the low percentages, the Orange still totaled 51 kills: Stamey’s 15 followed by 11 from fifth-year middle blocker Abby Nicholson.

“It was great today,” Stamey said about the team’s offensive performance. “I think Charis [Burge] did a great job of distributing her sets against that team. They have a big block everywhere. Kudos to her to find the holes for us and us taking advantage of it.”

With the win, Syracuse improved to 6-12 overall and 1-8 in ACC play. Virginia fell to 6-12 overall and 2-7 in conference play.

Syracuse returns to action Sunday, Oct. 25, when it welcomes Virginia Tech.