Friday, September 6
New York, NY
11 a.m.
Syracuse University
at
Columbia
Orange Takes On The Big Apple At Season's Second Tournament
9/5/2024 11:00:00 AM | Volleyball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Fresh off three victories at the Salt City Classic, the Syracuse University volleyball team (3-0) heads to the Big Apple this weekend for its second tournament of the season.
The Orange are one of four teams that will compete at the Big Apple Tournament on Sept. 6-7. Columbia will host the two-day event at Levien Gymnasium. 'Cuse will open the tournament on Friday against Columbia at 11 a.m. before battling Fordham at 5 p.m. On Saturday, the Orange will take on Manhattan at noon to close out the event. All three contests will be streamed live on ESPN+.
About the Orange
The Orange opened its season last weekend with three victories at the Salt City Classic. 'Cuse defeated NJIT and Lafayette at the Women's Building on Aug. 30 before besting Canisius in a match played at Le Moyne's Ted Grant Court.
Syracuse won nine of 10 sets at the Salt City Classic, with the one blemish coming in the third set against Lafayette. 'Cuse was the only team out of five participants to finish the tournament unbeaten.
Three Orange players were selected to the All-Tournament Team - Ava Palm, Skylar George and Sydney Moore. Palm was tabbed as the tournament's MVP.
MVP! MVP!
Grad transfer Ava Palm dazzled in her Syracuse debut at the Salt City Classic on her way to earning tournament MVP honors. The outside hitter paced Syracuse in kills in all three matches and finished the event with 38 (3.80/set). She had a tournament-best 14 against Lafayette on Aug. 30. Not only was Palm's hitting productive, it was also efficient, as she hit .268 on 82 attempts during the event.
In addition to her hitting, Palm contributed for the Orange in other areas, as she tallied 20 digs and 12 blocks in the Salt City Classic.
Block Party
The Syracuse front line was a force to be reckoned with throughout the Salt City Classic, as the Orange averaged 3.6 blocks per set in the tournament, which currently ranks No. 2 in the ACC.
The Orange posted 15, 12 and nine rejections in its three matches at the Salt City Classic, respectively. The back-to-back double-digit block efforts against NJIT and Lafayette were Syracuse's first since November 2022. Syracuse's 15 blocks against the Highlanders were the most for the Orange in a match since the team had 18 against Hartford on Sept. 4, 2021.
Three Syracuse players reached double-digit blocks in the Salt City Classic - Anastasiia Nikolnikova (16), Sydney Moore (15) and Ava Palm (12). Veronica Sierzant also pitched in nine and Sara Wasiakowska had seven.
Setting the Scene
Veronica Sierzant had a career-best weekend at the Salt City Classic, propelling the Syracuse offense to three efficient performances. Sierzant began the weekend 26 assists in a relief effort against NJIT on Aug. 30. In each of Syracuse's next two contests, Sierzant racked up 30+ assists, setting a new career high mark with 31 against Lafayette before upping it by one with 32 against Canisius.
Sierzant ranks No. 6 in the ACC in assists per set (8.90) through the opening week of the season. As the primary setter for 'Cuse throughout the Salt City Classic, Sierzant guided the Orange to hit over .300 in each of their three matches.
Sky High
Skylar George made her college volleyball debut for Syracuse at the Salt City Classic. The redshirt freshman wasted no time making an impact on her way to a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
George finished the tournament third on the team in kills (21). She averaged 2.10 kills per set during the event. She added eight kills in a straight-set victory against Canisius. She posted 19 kills in the final two matches of the tournament.
The outside hitter had her best performance of the tournament in Syracuse's four-set victory over Lafayette. She tallied the first double-double of her career with 11 kills on 23 swings and 10 digs. George's 16 digs at the Salt City Classic were tied with Veronica Sierzant for the most on the team during the tournament.
We Want Moore
Sydney Moore made her Syracuse debut at the Salt City Classic and quickly established herself as a key piece of the Orange lineup. She earned All-Tournament honors for her efforts.
In the first match of the tournament against NJIT, Moore put down a team-high eight blocks and added three kills on six attacks. Moore has also been a factor in 'Cuse's offense. The middle blocker registered 10 kills in each of Syracuse's matches against Lafayette and Canisius. Through the opening week of the season, Moore leads the ACC in hitting percentage (.606). She had 23 kills on just 33 attacks at the Salt City Classic.
Moore was especially ruthless in Syracuse's win over Lafayette, as she converted 10 of her 12 swings into kills and finished with a .750 hitting percentage.
Efficient Offense
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 three consecutive matches at the Salt City Classic.
'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, Syracuse hit .376, its best in a match as a team since hitting .398 against South Alabama on Sept. 19, 2021.Syracuse's 44 kills against Canisius were the most for the team in a three-set match since Sept. 3, 2022, when the Orange had 46 in a win against North Florida.
Five Syracuse players had at least 15 kills during the Salt City Classic - Ava Palm (38), Sydney Moore (23), Skylar George (20), Sara Wasiakowska (19) and Anastasiia Nikolnikova (16).
Oh Captains, My Captains
'Cuse will have three captains in 2024 – Klara Zarnovicka, Nikki Shimao and Elizabeth Schuster.
Zarnovicka is Syracuse's lone senior and only captain that is a returner from last season. Before coming to 'Cuse, she spent two seasons at Florida Atlantic, where she ranked No. 10 in Conference USA in kills per set during the team's 2021 campaign.
Shimao and Schuster both join the Orange this season as grad transfers. Shimao spent four seasons at Temple and Schuster had previous stints at Oregon State and Cal State Fullerton.
Scouting the Big Apple Tournament
Columbia did not play during college volleyball's opening week, meaning their match against the Orange will be their season debut. The Lions are coming off a 3-20 season in 2023 that included a 1-13 mark in Ivy League play. Columbia has been picked to finish last in the Ivy's preseason poll. The Lions return their leader in kills (Eva Atkins), assists (Ruby van der Heide), digs (Delaney Seaman) and aces (Seaman) this season.
Syracuse Series vs. Columbia | Syracuse leads, 2-0 | Last meeting: Win 3-1, Oct. 5, 1985
Fordham kicked off its 2024 campaign by going 0-2 at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic, which was hosted by Air Force. They lost in straight sets to both Air Force and South Dakota. Whitley Moody paced Fordham last weekend with 18 kills. Whitney Woodrow and Mackenzie Colvin split setting duties, posting 24 and 20 assists, respectively. Defensively, Ryan Naumann led the Rams in digs (12) while Audrey Brown led the way with six blocks. Fordham averaged 2.3 blocks/set during the tournament.
Syracuse Series vs. Fordham | Syracuse leads, 7-1 | Last meeting: Win 3-0, Sept. 10, 2010
Manhattan is off to an 0-3 start in 2024 after beginning its season with loses to Bethune-Cookman (3-1), Stetson (3-0) and Portland (3-1) at the Bash at the Beach in Florida. Maike Bertens averaged 4.36 kills/set during the Bash at the Beach, which currently ranks No. 2 in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference. Mikalah Curran averaged 3.82 kills/set, while Sarah Emmons currently ranks No. 3 in the MAAC with 8.22 assists/set. Bertens (26) and Sophia Lotto (23) lead the Jaspers in digs this season.
Syracuse Series vs. Manhattan | Syracuse leads, 4-2 | Last meeting: W 3-1, Sept. 10, 2004
Syracuse vs. Columbia Briefing
Match Details: Sept. 6, 2024 | New York, N.Y. | Levien Gymnasium | 11 a.m.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @CuseVB
Instagram: @cusevb
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Columbia Links: Roster | Schedule
Syracuse vs. Fordham Briefing
Match Details: Sept. 6, 2024 | New York, N.Y. | Levien Gymnasium | 5 p.m.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @CuseVB
Instagram: @cusevb
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Fordham Links: Roster | Schedule
Syracuse vs. Manhattan Briefing
Match Details: Sept. 7, 2024 | New York, N.Y. | Levien Gymnasium | 12 p.m.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @CuseVB
Instagram: @cusevb
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Manhattan Links: Roster | Schedule
Up Next
Syracuse will stay in New York for the Siena Tournament from Sept. 12-14. The Orange will face Siena on Sept. 12, NJIT on Sept. 13 and Idaho on Sept. 14.
For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.
The Orange are one of four teams that will compete at the Big Apple Tournament on Sept. 6-7. Columbia will host the two-day event at Levien Gymnasium. 'Cuse will open the tournament on Friday against Columbia at 11 a.m. before battling Fordham at 5 p.m. On Saturday, the Orange will take on Manhattan at noon to close out the event. All three contests will be streamed live on ESPN+.
About the Orange
The Orange opened its season last weekend with three victories at the Salt City Classic. 'Cuse defeated NJIT and Lafayette at the Women's Building on Aug. 30 before besting Canisius in a match played at Le Moyne's Ted Grant Court.
Syracuse won nine of 10 sets at the Salt City Classic, with the one blemish coming in the third set against Lafayette. 'Cuse was the only team out of five participants to finish the tournament unbeaten.
Three Orange players were selected to the All-Tournament Team - Ava Palm, Skylar George and Sydney Moore. Palm was tabbed as the tournament's MVP.
MVP! MVP!
Grad transfer Ava Palm dazzled in her Syracuse debut at the Salt City Classic on her way to earning tournament MVP honors. The outside hitter paced Syracuse in kills in all three matches and finished the event with 38 (3.80/set). She had a tournament-best 14 against Lafayette on Aug. 30. Not only was Palm's hitting productive, it was also efficient, as she hit .268 on 82 attempts during the event.
In addition to her hitting, Palm contributed for the Orange in other areas, as she tallied 20 digs and 12 blocks in the Salt City Classic.
Block Party
The Syracuse front line was a force to be reckoned with throughout the Salt City Classic, as the Orange averaged 3.6 blocks per set in the tournament, which currently ranks No. 2 in the ACC.
The Orange posted 15, 12 and nine rejections in its three matches at the Salt City Classic, respectively. The back-to-back double-digit block efforts against NJIT and Lafayette were Syracuse's first since November 2022. Syracuse's 15 blocks against the Highlanders were the most for the Orange in a match since the team had 18 against Hartford on Sept. 4, 2021.
Three Syracuse players reached double-digit blocks in the Salt City Classic - Anastasiia Nikolnikova (16), Sydney Moore (15) and Ava Palm (12). Veronica Sierzant also pitched in nine and Sara Wasiakowska had seven.
Setting the Scene
Veronica Sierzant had a career-best weekend at the Salt City Classic, propelling the Syracuse offense to three efficient performances. Sierzant began the weekend 26 assists in a relief effort against NJIT on Aug. 30. In each of Syracuse's next two contests, Sierzant racked up 30+ assists, setting a new career high mark with 31 against Lafayette before upping it by one with 32 against Canisius.
Sierzant ranks No. 6 in the ACC in assists per set (8.90) through the opening week of the season. As the primary setter for 'Cuse throughout the Salt City Classic, Sierzant guided the Orange to hit over .300 in each of their three matches.
Sky High
Skylar George made her college volleyball debut for Syracuse at the Salt City Classic. The redshirt freshman wasted no time making an impact on her way to a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
George finished the tournament third on the team in kills (21). She averaged 2.10 kills per set during the event. She added eight kills in a straight-set victory against Canisius. She posted 19 kills in the final two matches of the tournament.
The outside hitter had her best performance of the tournament in Syracuse's four-set victory over Lafayette. She tallied the first double-double of her career with 11 kills on 23 swings and 10 digs. George's 16 digs at the Salt City Classic were tied with Veronica Sierzant for the most on the team during the tournament.
We Want Moore
Sydney Moore made her Syracuse debut at the Salt City Classic and quickly established herself as a key piece of the Orange lineup. She earned All-Tournament honors for her efforts.
In the first match of the tournament against NJIT, Moore put down a team-high eight blocks and added three kills on six attacks. Moore has also been a factor in 'Cuse's offense. The middle blocker registered 10 kills in each of Syracuse's matches against Lafayette and Canisius. Through the opening week of the season, Moore leads the ACC in hitting percentage (.606). She had 23 kills on just 33 attacks at the Salt City Classic.
Moore was especially ruthless in Syracuse's win over Lafayette, as she converted 10 of her 12 swings into kills and finished with a .750 hitting percentage.
Efficient Offense
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 three consecutive matches at the Salt City Classic.
'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, Syracuse hit .376, its best in a match as a team since hitting .398 against South Alabama on Sept. 19, 2021.Syracuse's 44 kills against Canisius were the most for the team in a three-set match since Sept. 3, 2022, when the Orange had 46 in a win against North Florida.
Five Syracuse players had at least 15 kills during the Salt City Classic - Ava Palm (38), Sydney Moore (23), Skylar George (20), Sara Wasiakowska (19) and Anastasiia Nikolnikova (16).
Oh Captains, My Captains
'Cuse will have three captains in 2024 – Klara Zarnovicka, Nikki Shimao and Elizabeth Schuster.
Zarnovicka is Syracuse's lone senior and only captain that is a returner from last season. Before coming to 'Cuse, she spent two seasons at Florida Atlantic, where she ranked No. 10 in Conference USA in kills per set during the team's 2021 campaign.
Shimao and Schuster both join the Orange this season as grad transfers. Shimao spent four seasons at Temple and Schuster had previous stints at Oregon State and Cal State Fullerton.
Scouting the Big Apple Tournament
Columbia did not play during college volleyball's opening week, meaning their match against the Orange will be their season debut. The Lions are coming off a 3-20 season in 2023 that included a 1-13 mark in Ivy League play. Columbia has been picked to finish last in the Ivy's preseason poll. The Lions return their leader in kills (Eva Atkins), assists (Ruby van der Heide), digs (Delaney Seaman) and aces (Seaman) this season.
Syracuse Series vs. Columbia | Syracuse leads, 2-0 | Last meeting: Win 3-1, Oct. 5, 1985
Fordham kicked off its 2024 campaign by going 0-2 at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic, which was hosted by Air Force. They lost in straight sets to both Air Force and South Dakota. Whitley Moody paced Fordham last weekend with 18 kills. Whitney Woodrow and Mackenzie Colvin split setting duties, posting 24 and 20 assists, respectively. Defensively, Ryan Naumann led the Rams in digs (12) while Audrey Brown led the way with six blocks. Fordham averaged 2.3 blocks/set during the tournament.
Syracuse Series vs. Fordham | Syracuse leads, 7-1 | Last meeting: Win 3-0, Sept. 10, 2010
Manhattan is off to an 0-3 start in 2024 after beginning its season with loses to Bethune-Cookman (3-1), Stetson (3-0) and Portland (3-1) at the Bash at the Beach in Florida. Maike Bertens averaged 4.36 kills/set during the Bash at the Beach, which currently ranks No. 2 in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference. Mikalah Curran averaged 3.82 kills/set, while Sarah Emmons currently ranks No. 3 in the MAAC with 8.22 assists/set. Bertens (26) and Sophia Lotto (23) lead the Jaspers in digs this season.
Syracuse Series vs. Manhattan | Syracuse leads, 4-2 | Last meeting: W 3-1, Sept. 10, 2004
Syracuse vs. Columbia Briefing
Match Details: Sept. 6, 2024 | New York, N.Y. | Levien Gymnasium | 11 a.m.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @CuseVB
Instagram: @cusevb
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Columbia Links: Roster | Schedule
Syracuse vs. Fordham Briefing
Match Details: Sept. 6, 2024 | New York, N.Y. | Levien Gymnasium | 5 p.m.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @CuseVB
Instagram: @cusevb
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Fordham Links: Roster | Schedule
Syracuse vs. Manhattan Briefing
Match Details: Sept. 7, 2024 | New York, N.Y. | Levien Gymnasium | 12 p.m.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Coverage: Stats
Twitter: @CuseVB
Instagram: @cusevb
Syracuse Links: Notes | News | Roster | Schedule
Manhattan Links: Roster | Schedule
Up Next
Syracuse will stay in New York for the Siena Tournament from Sept. 12-14. The Orange will face Siena on Sept. 12, NJIT on Sept. 13 and Idaho on Sept. 14.
For the latest news on the Syracuse volleyball program, follow /CuseVB on Facebook, @CuseVB on Instagram, and @CuseVB on X/Twitter.
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