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Facing Canisius in the Salt City Classic on Aug. 31, Sydnie Waller made her long-awaited Syracuse debut. Waller, a sophomore, missed all of 2023 due to injury.

“I was just excited to play the game of volleyball again because where I was a year ago today is a whole ’nother story,” Waller said. “I haven’t played in a real game since high school, that being a year and a half ago.”

At Centennial High School (Tennessee), Waller registered over 300 kills and was a two-time AAA District 11 All-District First Team member. While she was sidelined for her freshman campaign at Syracuse, Waller’s infectious personality was a bright spot across SU’s two-win season. Now, Waller is back healthy, looking to establish herself on the Orange’s roster amid a resurgent 6-0 start.

“She’s somebody who can learn in the gym, be a student of the game, and we’re going to give her the time she needs to grow and develop into a good player for us,” SU head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam said of Waller.

Waller didn’t know what to do at first, as it was the first injury she had ever suffered in her volleyball career. In her first time away from her family, she was 14 hours away from home, making the recovery process even more difficult.

Waller soon found a way to impact the team through her contagious energy on the bench. Against then-No. 11 Georgia Tech on Oct. 29, 2023, Waller and Zharia Harris-Waddy started a dance battle between the two benches, with Syracuse’s five-player bench making more noise than the 12 on the Yellow Jackets’ side. It was a trend Waller and the Orange continued throughout the season.

Her father, Sean Waller, fondly remembers one of SU’s seniors approaching him in 2023 and saying that his daughter’s presence on the bench was the team’s “energy” and “the reason why we play this game.”

“That is one of the greatest statements anyone has ever said about my child,” Sean said.

Now back on the court, Waller’s energetic presence hasn’t wavered. When other teams at the Salt City Classic committed a service error, Waller and the rest of the bench created a chant to the tune of “Who Let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men to celebrate the win.

“It matters what you do on the bench because it affects the game and can be heard,” Waller said. “If the bench is hype and loud, it makes the court hype and loud.”

Sophia Burke | Design Editor

It’s impossible now not to see Waller’s passion for volleyball. But she didn’t always like the sport. Her parents only signed her up because her best friends signed up for volleyball, too. She played every sport she could when she was younger, even if she was the only girl, according to her parents.

“We felt that starting sports early gave her the option to find her niche,” said DarKenya Waller, Waller’s mother.

It wasn’t until eighth grade when Waller fell in love with volleyball. Playing for Tennessee Performance Volleyball, Waller said she admired the team aspect of volleyball as they reached the AAU National Championship in her first year solely playing the sport.

From there, Waller quit track, made the sophomore team as a freshman and then made the senior team as a junior.

At Centennial, Waller won team MVP in 2021 and 2022. For the first time in her sophomore year, she realized she could play volleyball in college. At Nationals with TPV, she came off the court and saw the entire court surrounded by college coaches.

Waller committed to a mid-major school in her junior year but de-committed in her senior year. By February of her senior year, Waller didn’t know where she would go. Around that time, TPV attended an invite-only volleyball tournament, where she met Ganesharatnam and SU associate head coach Akiko Hatakeyama.

A week later, she officially visited Syracuse. Waller said she fell in love with the school on her visit. She committed to SU the next month. After missing her freshman year, she’s back to full strength and ready to help the Orange continue building in 2024.

“This is the dream I’ve been working for my entire life,” Waller said. “I want to come and be whatever my team needs me to be, whether that’s the big hitter, the big blocker, or a cheerleader on the court who motivates each other and gives each other feedback.”

Published on September 9, 2024 at 10:59 pm

Contact Quinn: qdpostma@syr.edu