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Volleyball

Syracuse volleyball loses fourth straight as midseason struggles continue

SU volleyball loses fourth straight as midseason struggles continue

The Orange drop another conference match and sit at three games under .500 against ACC foes.

Story by Leo Schaffer / Photos by Matthew Crisafulli
Published: November 7, 2025
Syracuse outside Gabriella McLaughlin flys through the air as she serves to the California defense Friday at the Woman's Building.
Photo by Matthew Crisafulli
Syracuse outside hitter Gabriella McLaughlin flies through the air for a serve at the Women’s Building.

The bulk of the season might be too heavy for Syracuse Volleyball to handle. SU lost its fourth match in a row, this time to a below-average Clemson team 3-1 tonight. After another hot start to its season, ACC opponents have gotten the best for SU once again. However, head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam remains confident that the team will get back on track.

“We have to stay positive,” he said postgame. “I thought in the last few matches we played, we improved in every match…today was not the performance we wanted to see, but we have to stay positive, and stay focused on the small things we did well, and look at the things we need to adjust and do better, and that is what we are going to do moving forward.”

The Orange were confident going into tonight’s contest, as the Tigers were 2-10 in conference play before the upset. That was until the opposing offense pounced on its prey. Clemson finished with 64 kills compared to SU’s 47. Also, the Tigers had the upper hand defensively, but by a shorter margin. Syracuse had only 13 less DIG’s, and three less blocks in contrast. The defense was solid for both sides, but Clemson was the stronger offensive squad, and it showed.

After dropping the first set 25-15, SU squeaked by 25-23 after barely trailing Clemson for the majority of the time. Hope was in the air for Syracuse and its fans, but the third set was ultimately the deciding factor. It was another close one, but the Tigers scored two straight points to seal the deal after being tied at 24. The Orange has barely any energy left, and lost the final set 25-16. 

SU had its bright spots in a tough defeat. Outside hitters Gabby McLaughlin and Skylar George combined for 26 kills. Freshman Mario Laurio led the way in digs with 16, followed by Libero Rana Yamada with 15. 

“I think this group is very good, very mature, and very solid,” Ganesharatnam said. “We are going to make sure we stay together, do not panic, analyze what we need to analyze, and focus on things that we need to improve on in order to get better before the next match.”

SU’s next opponent proves to be a real challenge. Georgia Tech makes the trip up North for a Sunday afternoon showdown. The Yellowjackets are red hot, having won five of their last seven matches. Ganesharatnam and his squad look to turn the tables on a season that is heading in the wrong direction