Friday, October 11
Stanford, CA
10 p.m.
Syracuse University
at
No. 5 Stanford
Volleyball Heads West To Face No. 5 Stanford, California
10/10/2024 11:22:00 AM | Volleyball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse University volleyball team (12-4, 0-4 ACC) will be California dreaming this weekend, as the Orange head to the west coast for ACC matches against No. 5 Stanford on Oct. 11 and California on Oct. 12.
Syracuse will face the nationally ranked Cardinal on Friday night before making the short trip to Berkeley to face Cal on Saturday. Both matches will start at 10 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACCNX.
Hot Start
The Orange completed non-conference play undefeated (12-0) for the first time since the 2010 season. Syracuse finished as one of the final seven unbeaten teams in the country after its 12-0 start to the campaign. The Orange went 3-0 at the Salt City Classic, Big Apple Tournament, Siena Saints Invitational and Syracuse Invitational to secure its perfect non-conference resume.
Syracuse's five-set victory over Iowa State on Sept. 21 at the Syracuse Invitational was the team's first five-setter since Oct. 16, 2022, against North Carolina.
'Cuse is 7-2 away from home this season, which includes a pair of road victories in non-conference play.
Air Ava
Graduate transfer Ava Palm has been the focal point of Syracuse's offense this season. Palm leads the Orange and ranks No. 6 in the ACC this season with 186 kills. She has racked up double-digit kills in 12 of Syracuse's 16 contests. Palm has been the team's leader in kills on 10 occasions this season.
In addition to her dynamic hitting, Palm has also stuffed the stat sheet defensively, as her 121 digs lead the Orange. Palm has recorded two double-doubles this season, as she tallied 16 kills and 10 digs on Sept. 21 against Iowa State and 12 kills with a season-high 17 digs on Sept. 29 against Duke.
The outside hitter also leads the Orange in aces (22) and is third on the team with 33 blocks.
Block Party
The Syracuse front line has been a force so far this season, as the Orange currently rank No. 6 in the ACC in blocks per set (2.54).
Syracuse has recorded at least nine blocks in eight matches and has notched double-digit rejections on six occasions, including in three of the last seven contests.
Anastasiia Nikolnikova is pacing the Orange with 56 blocks on the season, with Sydney Moore close behind at 47. Nikolnikova's 1.37 blocks per set are the third most in the ACC.
Spreading the Wealth
Mira Ledermueller, Veronica Sierzant and Elizabeth Schuster have handled the setting duties for the Orange this season.
Ledermueller has made a team-high eight starts this season. The sophomore has tallied 25+ assists seven times and has three double-doubles, with the most recent coming against Iowa State (38 assists, 10 digs) on Sept. 21. She currently leads the team with 275 assists. Ledermueller's 7.86 assists per set rank No. 8 in the ACC this season.
Sierzant has started four times this season, including in the team's ACC opener against North Carolina on Sept. 27. She notched the second double-double of her career against the Tar Heels with 12 assists and 11 digs. The sophomore sits No. 10 in the ACC in assists per set (7.13). Sierzant started Syracuse's last match against No. 1 Pittsburgh, racking up 20 assists and four digs.
Sky Money
Skylar George has created a dynamic duo with fellow outside Ava Palm so far this season. George has registered three double-doubles on the campaign, with the most recent coming against Iowa State on Sept. 21. All three have been achieved with double-digit kills and digs.
The redshirt freshman came one dig away from another double-double against Duke in 'Cuse's opening weekend of ACC play, as she finished the contest with 12 kills and nine digs.
George has reached double-digit digs four times this season, and her 97 digs are the third most on the team. George has posted double-digit kills seven times this season. She led the team in kills against No. 17 SMU last weekend. The outside hitter is currently second on the team in kills (131) and her 2.43 kills per set trail only Palm for the most on the Orange. George's serve has also been a weapon this season, as her 18 aces are the second most on the team.
Sweet Annie
In her 13 appearances this season, Anastasiia Nikolnikova has made an impact both offensively and defensively. Nikolnikova is currently ranked No. 2 in the ACC in hitting percentage (.455) and has 80 kills (1.95/set).
Nikolnikova has reached double-digit kills in four of Syracuse's last seven matches after not reaching the mark in any of her first six starts. The junior has hit at least .400 in nine contests this season. She hit over .500 in both of Syracuse's opening weekend ACC matches against North Carolina and Duke.
Nikolnikova is also leading the Orange in blocks per set (1.37) and blocks (56). She ranks No. 3 in the ACC in blocks per set.
We Want Moore
Sydney Moore's 47 blocks are the second most on the Orange this season. Moore is one of just two 'Cuse players averaging over a block per set, along with Anastasiia Nikolnikova.
In addition to her defensive presence in 'Cuse's front row, Moore has also been a steady contributor to the Orange offense this season and is one of the most efficient hitters in the ACC.
Through the opening month of the season, Moore is No. 8 in the ACC in hitting percentage (.361) and her 79 kills are the fourth most on the team.
Moore has hit at least .500 in six matches this season and has hit .700 or better on two occasions.
The graduate student earned All-Tournament honors at three events this season - The Salt City Classic, Siena Saints Invitational and Syracuse Invitational.
Efficient Offense
Syracuse's offense has been efficient throughout the early stages of the season. The Orange currently rank No. 8 in the ACC in hitting percentage (.244) while averaging 12.51 kills per set.
For the first time since the 2021 season and the first time under head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam, Syracuse hit over .300 as a team in four consecutive matches, a stretch that started with the team's season opener against NJIT on Aug. 30 and extended through 'Cuse's match against Columbia on Sept. 6.
'Cuse opened the season by hitting .320 with 35 kills in its win against NJIT. The Orange followed that by hitting .330 later that evening in a win over Lafayette. Against Canisius on Aug. 31, Syracuse hit .376, its best in a match as a team since hitting .398 against South Alabama on Sept. 19, 2021.
Syracuse's 57 kills against Iowa State on Sept. 21 were the most for a team in a match this season. The Orange followed that up with a 53-kill effort against Cornell, marking the first time this season 'Cuse had 50 or more kills in consecutive matches. The Orange have hit over .300 five times this season, most recently against Siena on Sept. 12.
Coming Up Aces
No team in the ACC has hit more aces in 2024 than the Orange. Syracuse's 107 aces this season lead the ACC over No. 15 SMU (104) and No. 1 Pittsburgh (100). 'Cuse's 1.95 aces per set also trail only Pittsburgh in the conference.
Ava Palm has a team-high 22 aces on the season. Fellow outside hitter Skylar George trails her with 18 aces. Anastasiia Nikolnikova and Sara Wasiakowska are tied for the third most aces on the team with 13 a piece.
The Orange have hit double-digit aces four times this season and have reached at least five aces in every match but five.
Scouting No. 5 Stanford
Stanford enters the weekend with an 11-2 overall record and a 3-1 mark in ACC play. The lone conference loss came to No. 4 Louisville. The Cardinal won a pair of ACC matches last weekend, defeating North Carolina State in four sets before sweeping Wake Forest. At No. 5, Stanford is the third of five ACC teams ranked in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll, behind No. 1 Pittsburgh and No. 4 Louisville. Stanford also checked in at No. 5 in the season's first RPI ranking on Oct. 7.
Ella Rubin is Stanford's top hitter, as she leads the team with 187 kills and ranks No. 4 in the ACC with 3.98 kills per set. The junior had 13 kills and 13 digs in the Cardinal's victory over the Wolfpack last weekend. Kami Miner earned ACC Setter of the Week honors after racking up 47 assists against NC State and 25 against the Demon Deacons. Miner also had 12 digs and three aces against the Wolfpack. The senior currently ranks No. 2 in the ACC with 10.23 assists per set.
Elena Oglivie is pacing the Cardinal and ranks No. 8 in the conference with 3.85 digs per set. She tallied 22 digs in Stanford's win against NC State. Miner and Rubin have both also surpassed 100 digs on the season and rank Nos. 2 and 3 on the team, respectively. Sami Francis leads Stanford with 59 blocks this season. Her 1.34 blocks per set are currently the fourth most in the ACC. She had five blocks in both of Stanford's victories against NC State and Wake Forest last weekend.
Stanford ranks No. 5 in the ACC in aces per set as a team (1.72). Jordyn Harvey is leading the team with 23 aces on the campaign. The Cardinal have picked up four ranked wins on the season over No. 18 Minnesota, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 6 Texas and No. 12 Kentucky. All four teams are still ranked in the top 25. As a team, the Cardinal ranks No. 3 in kills per set (13.77), hitting percentage (.285) and assists per set (12.89).
Syracuse vs. No. 5 Stanford | Stanford leads, 2-0 | Last meeting: L 0-3, Sept. 3, 2005
Scouting California
The Golden Bears opened last weekend with a straight-set loss to Wake Forest before closing with a sweep of NC State.
Maggie Li currently leads the ACC with 225 kills. The sophomore has surpassed 20 kills three times this season and has double-digit kills in two of Cal's four ACC contests. She was last season's PAC-12 Freshman of the Year and also made the All-PAC 12 Team.
Setter Natalie Lau is averaging 9.76 assists per set to sit No. 5 in the ACC. The junior has tallied 40 or more assists in five matches this season, which included a 64-assist effort earlier this season against Saint Mary's.
Gianna Bartalo is leading the Golden Bears with 245 digs on the season. Her 4.30 digs per set rank No. 3 in the conference and she has notched double-digit digs in each of Cal's four ACC matches. She has hit double-digit digs in every match but one this season. Sawyer Thomsen is pacing Cal in blocks this season with 54. She put down six blocks in the team's victory over the Wolfpack last weekend.
Junior Peyton DeJardin is leading the Golden Bears with 19 aces this season. Four more Golden Bears have hit double-digit aces.
Syracuse vs. California | First meeting
Syracuse vs. No. 5 Stanford Briefing
Match Details: Oct. 11, 2024 | Stanford, Calif. | Maples Pavilion | 10 p.m.
Live Video: ACCNX
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @CuseVB
Instagram: @cusevb
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Stanford Links: Roster | Schedule
Syracuse vs. California Briefing
Match Details: Oct. 12, 2024 | Berkeley, Calif. | Haas Pavilion | 10 p.m.
Live Video: ACCNX
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @CuseVB
Instagram: @cusevb
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
California Links: Roster | Schedule
Up Next:
Syracuse returns to the east coast next weekend and opens a four-match homestand with matches against Miami on Oct. 18 and No. 21 Florida State on Oct. 20.
For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.
Syracuse will face the nationally ranked Cardinal on Friday night before making the short trip to Berkeley to face Cal on Saturday. Both matches will start at 10 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACCNX.
Hot Start
The Orange completed non-conference play undefeated (12-0) for the first time since the 2010 season. Syracuse finished as one of the final seven unbeaten teams in the country after its 12-0 start to the campaign. The Orange went 3-0 at the Salt City Classic, Big Apple Tournament, Siena Saints Invitational and Syracuse Invitational to secure its perfect non-conference resume.
Syracuse's five-set victory over Iowa State on Sept. 21 at the Syracuse Invitational was the team's first five-setter since Oct. 16, 2022, against North Carolina.
'Cuse is 7-2 away from home this season, which includes a pair of road victories in non-conference play.
Air Ava
Graduate transfer Ava Palm has been the focal point of Syracuse's offense this season. Palm leads the Orange and ranks No. 6 in the ACC this season with 186 kills. She has racked up double-digit kills in 12 of Syracuse's 16 contests. Palm has been the team's leader in kills on 10 occasions this season.
In addition to her dynamic hitting, Palm has also stuffed the stat sheet defensively, as her 121 digs lead the Orange. Palm has recorded two double-doubles this season, as she tallied 16 kills and 10 digs on Sept. 21 against Iowa State and 12 kills with a season-high 17 digs on Sept. 29 against Duke.
The outside hitter also leads the Orange in aces (22) and is third on the team with 33 blocks.
Block Party
The Syracuse front line has been a force so far this season, as the Orange currently rank No. 6 in the ACC in blocks per set (2.54).
Syracuse has recorded at least nine blocks in eight matches and has notched double-digit rejections on six occasions, including in three of the last seven contests.
Anastasiia Nikolnikova is pacing the Orange with 56 blocks on the season, with Sydney Moore close behind at 47. Nikolnikova's 1.37 blocks per set are the third most in the ACC.
Spreading the Wealth
Mira Ledermueller, Veronica Sierzant and Elizabeth Schuster have handled the setting duties for the Orange this season.
Ledermueller has made a team-high eight starts this season. The sophomore has tallied 25+ assists seven times and has three double-doubles, with the most recent coming against Iowa State (38 assists, 10 digs) on Sept. 21. She currently leads the team with 275 assists. Ledermueller's 7.86 assists per set rank No. 8 in the ACC this season.
Sierzant has started four times this season, including in the team's ACC opener against North Carolina on Sept. 27. She notched the second double-double of her career against the Tar Heels with 12 assists and 11 digs. The sophomore sits No. 10 in the ACC in assists per set (7.13). Sierzant started Syracuse's last match against No. 1 Pittsburgh, racking up 20 assists and four digs.
Sky Money
Skylar George has created a dynamic duo with fellow outside Ava Palm so far this season. George has registered three double-doubles on the campaign, with the most recent coming against Iowa State on Sept. 21. All three have been achieved with double-digit kills and digs.
The redshirt freshman came one dig away from another double-double against Duke in 'Cuse's opening weekend of ACC play, as she finished the contest with 12 kills and nine digs.
George has reached double-digit digs four times this season, and her 97 digs are the third most on the team. George has posted double-digit kills seven times this season. She led the team in kills against No. 17 SMU last weekend. The outside hitter is currently second on the team in kills (131) and her 2.43 kills per set trail only Palm for the most on the Orange. George's serve has also been a weapon this season, as her 18 aces are the second most on the team.
Sweet Annie
In her 13 appearances this season, Anastasiia Nikolnikova has made an impact both offensively and defensively. Nikolnikova is currently ranked No. 2 in the ACC in hitting percentage (.455) and has 80 kills (1.95/set).
Nikolnikova has reached double-digit kills in four of Syracuse's last seven matches after not reaching the mark in any of her first six starts. The junior has hit at least .400 in nine contests this season. She hit over .500 in both of Syracuse's opening weekend ACC matches against North Carolina and Duke.
Nikolnikova is also leading the Orange in blocks per set (1.37) and blocks (56). She ranks No. 3 in the ACC in blocks per set.
We Want Moore
Sydney Moore's 47 blocks are the second most on the Orange this season. Moore is one of just two 'Cuse players averaging over a block per set, along with Anastasiia Nikolnikova.
In addition to her defensive presence in 'Cuse's front row, Moore has also been a steady contributor to the Orange offense this season and is one of the most efficient hitters in the ACC.
Through the opening month of the season, Moore is No. 8 in the ACC in hitting percentage (.361) and her 79 kills are the fourth most on the team.
Moore has hit at least .500 in six matches this season and has hit .700 or better on two occasions.
The graduate student earned All-Tournament honors at three events this season - The Salt City Classic, Siena Saints Invitational and Syracuse Invitational.
Efficient Offense
Syracuse's offense has been efficient throughout the early stages of the season. The Orange currently rank No. 8 in the ACC in hitting percentage (.244) while averaging 12.51 kills per set.
For the first time since the 2021 season and the first time under head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam, Syracuse hit over .300 as a team in four consecutive matches, a stretch that started with the team's season opener against NJIT on Aug. 30 and extended through 'Cuse's match against Columbia on Sept. 6.
'Cuse opened the season by hitting .320 with 35 kills in its win against NJIT. The Orange followed that by hitting .330 later that evening in a win over Lafayette. Against Canisius on Aug. 31, Syracuse hit .376, its best in a match as a team since hitting .398 against South Alabama on Sept. 19, 2021.
Syracuse's 57 kills against Iowa State on Sept. 21 were the most for a team in a match this season. The Orange followed that up with a 53-kill effort against Cornell, marking the first time this season 'Cuse had 50 or more kills in consecutive matches. The Orange have hit over .300 five times this season, most recently against Siena on Sept. 12.
Coming Up Aces
No team in the ACC has hit more aces in 2024 than the Orange. Syracuse's 107 aces this season lead the ACC over No. 15 SMU (104) and No. 1 Pittsburgh (100). 'Cuse's 1.95 aces per set also trail only Pittsburgh in the conference.
Ava Palm has a team-high 22 aces on the season. Fellow outside hitter Skylar George trails her with 18 aces. Anastasiia Nikolnikova and Sara Wasiakowska are tied for the third most aces on the team with 13 a piece.
The Orange have hit double-digit aces four times this season and have reached at least five aces in every match but five.
Scouting No. 5 Stanford
Stanford enters the weekend with an 11-2 overall record and a 3-1 mark in ACC play. The lone conference loss came to No. 4 Louisville. The Cardinal won a pair of ACC matches last weekend, defeating North Carolina State in four sets before sweeping Wake Forest. At No. 5, Stanford is the third of five ACC teams ranked in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll, behind No. 1 Pittsburgh and No. 4 Louisville. Stanford also checked in at No. 5 in the season's first RPI ranking on Oct. 7.
Ella Rubin is Stanford's top hitter, as she leads the team with 187 kills and ranks No. 4 in the ACC with 3.98 kills per set. The junior had 13 kills and 13 digs in the Cardinal's victory over the Wolfpack last weekend. Kami Miner earned ACC Setter of the Week honors after racking up 47 assists against NC State and 25 against the Demon Deacons. Miner also had 12 digs and three aces against the Wolfpack. The senior currently ranks No. 2 in the ACC with 10.23 assists per set.
Elena Oglivie is pacing the Cardinal and ranks No. 8 in the conference with 3.85 digs per set. She tallied 22 digs in Stanford's win against NC State. Miner and Rubin have both also surpassed 100 digs on the season and rank Nos. 2 and 3 on the team, respectively. Sami Francis leads Stanford with 59 blocks this season. Her 1.34 blocks per set are currently the fourth most in the ACC. She had five blocks in both of Stanford's victories against NC State and Wake Forest last weekend.
Stanford ranks No. 5 in the ACC in aces per set as a team (1.72). Jordyn Harvey is leading the team with 23 aces on the campaign. The Cardinal have picked up four ranked wins on the season over No. 18 Minnesota, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 6 Texas and No. 12 Kentucky. All four teams are still ranked in the top 25. As a team, the Cardinal ranks No. 3 in kills per set (13.77), hitting percentage (.285) and assists per set (12.89).
Syracuse vs. No. 5 Stanford | Stanford leads, 2-0 | Last meeting: L 0-3, Sept. 3, 2005
Scouting California
The Golden Bears opened last weekend with a straight-set loss to Wake Forest before closing with a sweep of NC State.
Maggie Li currently leads the ACC with 225 kills. The sophomore has surpassed 20 kills three times this season and has double-digit kills in two of Cal's four ACC contests. She was last season's PAC-12 Freshman of the Year and also made the All-PAC 12 Team.
Setter Natalie Lau is averaging 9.76 assists per set to sit No. 5 in the ACC. The junior has tallied 40 or more assists in five matches this season, which included a 64-assist effort earlier this season against Saint Mary's.
Gianna Bartalo is leading the Golden Bears with 245 digs on the season. Her 4.30 digs per set rank No. 3 in the conference and she has notched double-digit digs in each of Cal's four ACC matches. She has hit double-digit digs in every match but one this season. Sawyer Thomsen is pacing Cal in blocks this season with 54. She put down six blocks in the team's victory over the Wolfpack last weekend.
Junior Peyton DeJardin is leading the Golden Bears with 19 aces this season. Four more Golden Bears have hit double-digit aces.
Syracuse vs. California | First meeting
Syracuse vs. No. 5 Stanford Briefing
Match Details: Oct. 11, 2024 | Stanford, Calif. | Maples Pavilion | 10 p.m.
Live Video: ACCNX
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @CuseVB
Instagram: @cusevb
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Stanford Links: Roster | Schedule
Syracuse vs. California Briefing
Match Details: Oct. 12, 2024 | Berkeley, Calif. | Haas Pavilion | 10 p.m.
Live Video: ACCNX
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @CuseVB
Instagram: @cusevb
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
California Links: Roster | Schedule
Up Next:
Syracuse returns to the east coast next weekend and opens a four-match homestand with matches against Miami on Oct. 18 and No. 21 Florida State on Oct. 20.
For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.
Players Mentioned
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