Syracuse Volleyball drops ACC opener to No. 4 Louisville

Heading into ACC play, both Syracuse and Louisville Volleyball had very different non-conference schedules. 

The No. 4 Cardinals played seven ranked opponents, defeating five of them. On the contrary, Syracuse hadn’t squared up with anybody in the top 25.

That experience against top opponents showed Friday, as Louisville defeated the Orange in three sets with a scoreline of 25-9, 25-13, 25-18.

“They’re very high-execution,” said Syracuse head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam on the challenge that came with playing the Cardinals. “They’ve been together for a while, you can see that on the court.”

Syracuse was dominated in every stat, most notably Louisville’s .368 hitting percentage compared to SU’s .010 total. 

Louisville’s ranking comes with loads of experience, much of it returning from a season prior.

Both Chloe Chicoine and setter Nayelis Cabello made the 2025 All-ACC First Team as part of a team that reached the round of 16 a year ago, now looking to bring a title back to Kentucky in 2026.

Despite these lopsided numbers, the Orange found themselves hanging around in each set.

The ‘Cuse forced scores of 6-6 in the first set and 5-5 in the second showing the Cardinals that SU wasn’t going to be a pushover.

“Louisville does a really good job executing at a high level consistently,” said Ganesharatnam on how SU couldn’t maintain the early set success that it found. “They do it very well for a period of five or six points.”

Only from there did the top-five prowess from Louisville come through, winning on 19-3 and 20-8, then shutting the door in the final set.

The front line of Louisville was impenetrable defensively all game long.

A combination of Chicoine, Kalyssa Blackshear, Chloe Meester, and Brooke Bultema constantly formed walls to block the Orange returns, forcing SU to work that much harder for each point.

Offensively, the top attack in the nation did their thing as well, with each in the quartet racked up at least seven kills.

For Syracuse, it was sophomore outside hitter Marie Laurio taking charge, leading the team with six kills and holding her own on the defensive end.

“When it’s flowing, it’s flowing,” Laurio said about what contributed to her strong play. “You’re playing the number four team in the country, that’s awesome. We’re all getting experience from that.”

Early on in the third set, Cabello made a perfect diving overhead bump, setting up Meester for the kill that helped push the Cardinals ahead. 

It was those point-swinging plays that defined the evening and held Syracuse from flirting with an upset.

The Orange fought until the final points, creating an 8-1 run that cut the third set lead to two, but it was ultimately all for naught.

“We were able to execute after that first contact,” said Laurio on the squad’s shift in the third set. “Our bench really brought energy.”

The third set included one of those energetic bench moments.

While during a timeout the SU bench did a “Ring-Around-The-Rosie” dance surrounding Otto the Orange, which eventually led the Cardinals bench to follow suit.

“I think Otto did a good job bringing everyone’s mood up,” Ganesharatnam joked about how even though down, the team kept a positive mindset. “We have to keep our mindset positive in order to stay competitive.”

One positive for the ‘Cuse was the debut of a marquee freshman.

Queen Howse played his first minutes in Orange Friday, after missing all of the season to this point with an injury.

“It was a great feeling,” Howse said about her Syracuse debut coming against the No. 4 team in the nation. “I’m grateful to have this opportunity to play against Louisville.”

The contest completes the first half of a six-game homestand for the Orange, who were pleased with the attendance numbers Friday.

“Our community is incredible,” Ganesharatnam said about the fans of Syracuse Volleyball. “We absolutely love our fans being in our gym supporting us. It makes a huge difference.”

The next game on that Syracuse homestand will come against Notre Dame, beginning in the Women’s Building Sunday at 1 p.m.