Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Before Polina Shemanova joined Bakeer Ganesharatnam’s staff as an assistant coach, she dominated as a player. In five seasons with Syracuse, she earned four All-Atlantic Coast Conference selections and a program-high 1,845 career kills en route to becoming, arguably, SU’s greatest-ever player.

In 2022, the Orange finished a lowly 11-17 during Shemanova’s final season. During the offseason, it was clear Ganesharatnam’s biggest task at hand was filling the void Shemanova left. Cherlin Antonio might be the answer.

Antonio, who hails from the Dominican Republic, played at Iowa Western Community College for two years before coming to Syracuse. Her gangly arms and unparalleled athleticism made her a natural outside hitter.

While in high school, Antonio played for Mirador Volleyball Club, one of the best programs in the country. But, for over a decade, Mirador had struggled to keep up with the rest of its league. Then, Antonio joined.

Cindy Zhang | Design Editor

In the 2018-19 season, Mirador returned to its winning ways and captured the elusive Dominican League title. Antonio’s ability to effortlessly string together kills translated to a call-up for the U18 Dominican Republic National team. Although the team didn’t perform well on the international stage, Antonio caught the eye of Korie Tetzlaff, the then-assistant coach at Iowa Western.

“Looking at (Antonio), I’m like ‘oh my gosh, she’s got a lot of potential and she can be very good,’” Tetzlaff said. “Our expectations because of how much potential we thought she had was that she would come in and score points for us, get kills, and do her thing. Basically, be a big role player for us.” Iowa Western offered and Antonio accepted.

In her freshman year, Antonio recorded 400 kills, exceeding Tetzlaff’s “role player” expectations. In Shemanova’s first year at Syracuse, she recorded 447 kills. Just as Shemanova immediately proved to be the go-to player for Syracuse, Antonio was that for Iowa Western.

Antonio helped the Reivers to a 29-4 record in 2021. In the postseason, they reached their District Championship final to earn an at-large bid into the NJCAA Division I National Championship Tournament. When the tournament began, the Reivers’ success grew.

In Antonio’s first game of the tournament, she tallied a career-high 24 kills on nearly 50% hitting. The performance spurred an unstoppable Iowa Western run to winning the national championship. Antonio, who finished with 77 kills over four games, was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Cindy Zhang | Design Editor

Antonio continued to excel in her sophomore year, but the Reivers could not again win the District Championship. Yet, Antonio’s continued dominance on the court was enough for Ganesharatnam and Syracuse to come calling.

“I think she’s kind of a diamond in the rough,” Ganesharatnam said. “She has everything physically that’s needed to become a very good pin hitter in this conference. We are very excited to have her on our roster.”

Antonio’s skills and physical tools immediately stood out for the Orange. She’s also had the perk of learning from Shemanova.

“Polina (Shemanova) has been a valuable resource for me,” Antonio said. “She provides tips and strategies to improve my kill count and overall performance. Her expertise and advice has been instrumental in my development as a player.”

Through 10 contests, Antonio’s collected 91 kills. She has averaged more than three kills a set.
Facing off against Cornell on Sept. 6, Antonio garnered 18 kills, including a thunderous game-winning spike to clinch SU’s first victory of the young campaign.

“We’re going to continue working with her hard,” Ganesharatnam said. “As long as she stays committed to this process, she’s going to be great.”

Published on September 25, 2023 at 10:22 pm