Midway through the second set against Marquette, Syracuse head coach Leonid Yelin needed to change up his lineup. Fresh off a straight-set drubbing against Baylor and already down a set, Yelin knew something needed to change.

He inserted freshman setter Lauren Woodford into the game in place of sophomore Elena Karakasi, who had started both of SU’s first two matches. Two points later, Woodford recorded consecutive aces that sparked a Syracuse comeback that fell just short, with Marquette taking the second set by two points, and ultimately winning the match in straight sets. Woodford, who also played for part of the first set, made a noticeable difference: With Woodford on the court, SU’s point differential was minus-5, whereas with Karakasi it was minus-15.

Last season, setter was one of the most consistent positions for the Orange, which reached their first NCAA tournament berth in program history. Senior setter Jalissa Trotter appeared in all 30 matches, recording 30 or more assists in 16 games. Dana Valelly, who had been expected to start this season after Trotter graduated, surprisingly departed from the program for unknown reasons, which Yelin declined to comment on. Without Trotter and Valelly, Syracuse (0-2) is turning to a setter-by-committee approach.

Valelly had played sporadically throughout the season, appearing in 12 matches, including both of SU’s games in the NCAA tournament.

Yelin has since approached the position without a clear starter; neither Karakasi nor Woodford playing the entire match in SU’s first two.

Woodford’s bright cameo against Marquette is unlikely to change the current setter rotation, Yelin said. Typically, Yelin prefers to play older players and allow freshman to get acclimated. Woodford was not made available for comment. Yelin maintains high hopes for Karakasi, as he’s closely monitored her development ever since she reached out to Yelin for the first time three years ago.

Back then, Karakasi was a captain for Markopoulo V.C. junior team in Greece. Yelin began watching Karakasi’s film, and the pair regularly called one another and discussed her strengths and what she could do to improve. At 6-feet tall, Karakasi had begun playing volleyball as an outside hitter before making the transition four years ago to setter.

“Most coaches (in Greece) wanted me to play as a hitter,” Karakasi said. “But there were some that told me that you would be a very good setter because of your height and you have very good hands.”

Even with their constant contact, Yelin wasn’t entirely sold on bringing Karakasi to Syracuse. He wanted to watch her play live, and the U-18 European Volleyball Championship in 2017 was his chance. Yelin flew out to the Netherlands and watched Karakasi play for Greece. Finally, Yelin believed that Karakasi had both the right ability and personality to play for the Orange.

During Karakasi’s freshman year, she sat behind Trotter and Valelly, appearing in only nine matches. Yelin said he didn’t want to rush Karakasi’s development, and noted that European players often need more time to acclimate given the difference in competition level in Europe and the US.

After a year to adjust to a new country, workload and constant travel, Karakasi said she feels more settled into her “new world.” Karakasi’s development hasn’t been lost on Yelin, either.

“She’s so much faster, she’s jumping so much higher, it’s so visible,” Yelin said. “Some [SU] players have been like, ‘Woah!’”

Published on September 11, 2019 at 11:26 pm

Contact Alex: athamer@syr.edu