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“Rack City” by Tyga rang through the Women’s Building, and Abby Casiano was reciting every lyric and high-fiving every player as she went through Syracuse’s pregame hitting lines. She was at the center of the pregame huddle minutes later, leading the team’s “Go ‘Cuse” chants before the Orange’s Oct. 16 matchup against Boston College. 

Once the game started, she flexed her muscles and screamed “we’re here to win,” before bracing herself for the incoming serve. And during any break — whether a timeout, challenge, or set break — Casiano swayed her head back and forth with the music and chest bumped multiple teammates.

“She’s this little engine who can’t stop screaming and can’t stop sharing the energy with the rest of the team,” outside hitter Polina Shemanova said. “That is Abby.”

Casiano, who’s started every game at middle blocker for the Orange (4-4, 4-4 Atlantic Coast) this year, is the youngest of three captains this season. Her selection was no surprise to Carlos Ramos, Casiano’s most recent club volleyball coach, who cited her ability to completely take over a match with her fiery energy. 

She led SU with 77 total blocks in 2019, and through SU’s eight-game season this year, she’s tied with Marina Markova for a team-high 29 blocks. Casiano has improved her hitting percentage — which was zero or below in five games last year — to a team-high 38.6% (minimum 10 attempts). And now, at the end of her sophomore season, she’s developing into a complete player for SU.

“I am obsessed with volleyball. It is my life,” Casiano said. “My goal every time I step on the court is to hype up my teammate. I know that, if I get a point, it’s a ‘Woohoo, that’s cool,’ but if someone else gets a point, I’m about to go crazy.”

As a middle, Casiano isn’t on the court for the entirety of the match, so she always makes extra effort to bring a “bubbly” persona whenever possible, she said. Casiano jokes that she’s “always tweaking.”

For the team’s 7 a.m. practices, Casiano brings the same energy she’d bring to a 7 p.m. game, head coach Leonid Yelin said. 

Yiwei He | Design Editor

“That’s the kind of personality we have,” Yelin said. “You can’t teach that. I (haven’t had) so many players in that short of a time that could really impress me or surprise me, even.”

Casiano’s development between last season and this season has been one of the greatest he’s seen during his time as a coach, he said. The Orange’s offense has relied less heavily on Shemanova this season, instead turning to a number of secondary players, including Casiano.

In the Orange’s season opener against Pittsburgh, she broke her career-high with 12 kills. The next night, with SU trailing 19-20 in the second set and needing a side out to make up for its lack of defensive presence, Casiano’s timely kill led her team to a 27-25 set win. And when SU needed a final dagger to defeat Boston College and end a four-game losing streak, Casiano was there with a block and kill on the final two points of the game.

Her versatility on the court allows her to make critical plays like these, said Sam Cibrone, associate director of Tampa United Volleyball Club. She played club volleyball there during her junior and senior year of high school and regularly made plays on “game-point swings,” he said.

“We had her hit high balls from the outside, quick balls from the middle,” Cibrone said. “Very clutch. She never got freaked out at the end of the game.” 

Abby Casiano, a sophomore middle blocker, is the youngest of Syracuse’s three volleyball captains this season. Sarah Lee | Asst. Photo Editor

One of her most crucial performances came in 2017, when TUVC faced Texas Advantage Volleyball, the nation’s No. 1 club team. Despite losing the first set, Casiano played “lights out” as her team went on to earn an upset win. Her performance proved she could “compete with people from anywhere,” Cibrone said.

Then a member of the Thunder Bay Volleyball Academy in Florida, Casiano faced off in a 2016 tournament against Ramos’ TUVC team. Casiano knocked his team out, Ramos said, and he knew he wanted her on his team. Years later, he ran into her at a beach volleyball tournament and took the opportunity to recruit her. 

“Every day, the team wasn’t allowed to mope — they were energetic because of her,” Ramos said. “Her passion was contagious. She’s not going to be the one to jump the highest, and she’s not going to be the one that’s going to hit the hardest ball, but she’s going to be there, always.

Casiano’s appointment as captain has been crucial, Shemanova said. Her presence on the court is motivating, especially in game-changing situations, she said. After her crucial kill at the end of the second set against Pitt, Casiano looked to repeat another timely kill at the end of the third.

Up 23-19, the Orange needed a side out again. Off Lauren Hogan’s serve return, Elena Karakasi set Casiano another perfect ball in the middle. Casiano delivered a kill, turned around, screamed and flexed her muscles to the empty bleachers. One point later, Syracuse solidified itself as the No. 5 team in the nation.

Published on October 20, 2020 at 10:54 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu