Syracuse volleyball dominates Duke 3-0 for Orange’s fourth conference win of season

Friday was a night of accomplishments and accolades for Orange Volleyball.

Before the start of their match against the Duke Blue Devils, head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam was acknowledged with a commemorative ball to congratulate him on 200 wins as head coach — a feat he earned last November in a win against Notre Dame.

Ganesharatnam and his team also picked up conference win number four this year, which is more than his last two seasons at the helm combined.

“Thanks for the reminder,” he joked. “This is the best volleyball conference in the country, and beating an opponent like Duke three-nothing is great, so it’s a huge compliment to the team.”

Ganesharatnam went on to congratulate junior Tehya Maeva, who eclipsed 2,000 career assists on Syracuse’s 10th point of the second set. She has now recorded 565 on the season.

“It means so much, but I think it’s a huge shoutout to my team,” said Maeva. “I couldn’t do it without my passers setting me up for success and my hitters finding ways to score.”

The offensive gameplan early on was to run it through Maeva, as it has been all season. She assisted on each of the Orange’s first five points.

In the first set, redshirt sophomore Skylar George served as a sparkplug for Syracuse, breathing life into the team. Every time Duke scored, George had an answer. She notched four kills in their first 13 points and led the team in digs with 6 through the first set.

Photo by Lindsay Baloun

Syracuse Women’s Volleyball players Skylar George and Gabriella McLaughlin celebrate after winning a point during their match against Duke on October 17, 2025 at the Women’s Building.

Regardless of George’s stellar play early on, Duke was unrelenting. It wasn’t until Syracuse went on a 5-0 run late in the set to take a 20-14 lead that the momentum started to shift in the Blue Devils’ favor.

Syracuse picked up the first 25-22, but the Orange knew it was going to be a dog fight. They didn’t mind the barking.

“We want to reflect what this community is about,” Ganesharatnam said. “Hard working, maybe a little overlooked, playing with a chip on their shoulder, and showing a lot of grit, determination, and heart.”

And the team feels the community has shown up in a big way, as energy poured out of the Women’s Building. When the fans got loud, the team reciprocated the energy and love.

“The fans are part of the win tonight,” Ganesharatnam said. “We want everybody to come, and we welcome everybody to be part of this incredible process with this program.”

The support came in abundance after another back-and-forth start to a set. Again, both teams were going point-for-point. Momentum started to shift once Gabby McLaughlin established herself in the attack. She picked up five kills in the set and finished the night with a team-leading 11.

Once she got going, the Blue Devils were no match for Syracuse’s balanced attack, getting things done both offensively and defensively. They came out on top of the second 25-17, and held dominion over Duke into the third to complete the sweep.

Above all else, the team looked explosive and energized. A big part of their character as a team and a key factor in their success in this match.

“We go into every match thinking that this match is the most important match of the season,” junior Sydnie Waller said. “Pouring everything we have into the match so that we are able to come out successful.”

And conducting the energy at the center of it all tonight was Maeva. Aside from the assists milestone, she played smart and shared the ball around to each of her hitters, leading to a balanced offensive attack and a .254 hit percentage, their highest against a conference opponent this year.

“I think this was the best performance she had in a Syracuse uniform,” Ganesharatnam said. “Her ability to lead the team and orchestrate our offense was really, really well done today.”

Photo by Lindsay Baloun

Syracuse Women’s Volleyball substitution players celebrate to the song “Shots (feat. LMFAO)” by Lil Jon after winning a rally in the first set against Duke on October 17, 2025, at the Women’s Building.

The Orange, with a roster full of new faces from last year, continues to grow together and play more as a unit and with more energy as the season carries on. They will be tasked with handing No. 21 University of North Carolina their first conference loss of the year.

Syracuse has yet to win a set against a ranked opponent this season. But with the momentum rolling into Sunday from the sweep against Duke and the growing support from the home crowd, the team remains confident.

The 7-0 Tar Heels come to town on Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. in the Women’s Building.