Yuliia Yastrub graduates as free-spirited player at Syracuse

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Syracuse struggled to keep the energy alive. The team was trying throughout practice to be loud and spirited by yelling and shouting. But at one point, players had been screaming for so long they were running out of things to say. The Women’s Building gym began to get quiet before graduate student Yuliia Yastrub called out “Popcorn for five dollars!” The team erupted in laughter. Middle blocker Dana Gardner said it was exactly what the team needed at that moment.

“It may have been stupid and had no relation, but it was keeping the energy alive on the team and it was really helpful for everyone,” Gardner said.

Yastrub completed her five year career at Syracuse in the game against Duke on Nov. 21. She likely won’t be remembered for her statistical achievements or any all-conference honors, her teammates said, but more so for her entertaining leadership style and dedication to versatility and putting the team above herself.

Yastrub arrived in Syracuse in 2017 from Nikolaev, Ukraine. She said that, at that time, she knew very little English, making it difficult to take classes and communicate with teammates. She said she was shy and afraid to do something wrong and be judged by the team.

Over time she said she began to feel more comfortable, and started to look up to Santita Ebangwese, an outside hitter at the time. Yastrub wanted to emulate Ebangwese’s role as an emotional and energetic leader who always brought a positive vibe to the team, she said. Yastrub didn’t play in any games that season but instead spent the year adjusting to a new culture, getting familiar with collegiate volleyball and earning a place on the academic honor roll.

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The next year, however, Yastrub said she started to feel at home. Her English improved and she could comfortably have a conversation, and Yastrub said earning more playing time, which helped her feel more comfortable, too.

“I actually started playing and lots of older players were giving me advice on how to do certain stuff: what to do on the court, just be open-minded,” Yastrub said. “I guess after that, my confidence came to me.”

Yastrub assumed a role as a depth outside hitter in her sophomore year. She appeared in every game, started seven of them and finished fifth on the team in kills, helping SU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 36 years.

When starting libero Aliah Bowllan couldn’t play because of an injury, Leonid Yelin, Syracuse volleyball’s head coach asked Yastrub to fill in against Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Yastrub had come to Syracuse as an outside hitter, but her versatility allowed her to play any position except setter, Yelin said. Yastrub finished the game with three assists and six digs in a three-set loss to the Nittany Lions.

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Gardner, who was roommates with Yastrub during their freshman and sophomore years, said she saw her develop a wide range of skills that allowed her to become a “swiss army knife” on the team.

“She can do anything, literally anything she wants in volleyball. She has the skill set and the drive to do it,” Gardner said.

Yelin said Yastrub’s ability to play other positions says more about her personality than anything else. Most players are set on playing the position they’re best at, Yelin said, even if the team would benefit more if they filled in somewhere else. It didn’t take much convincing to get Yastrub to play another position, he said, and he’s used that to his advantage.

“When I sit down with those people who we need them to switch positions whether it’s temporarily or maybe permanently for a season just cause the team needs it, I use this as an example,” Yelin said.

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Yastrub entered her junior year with the reputation of being a versatile player, but she was able to become a strong leader that year, too. When she was a freshman, she shouted words of encouragement like “good job, good job,” as she aspired to be an energetic leader like Ebangwese was. But as a junior, she elevated her energy, and began challenging the younger players to match her positivity.

“She’s always trying to make people smile. She’s always the life of the party,” middle blocker Abby Casiano said. “She’s always dancing and it doesn’t matter what’s going on. She’s loud. She’s funny.”

This passion and enthusiasm for the sport made Yastrub want more than just a four-year college career, and she decided to use her extra year of eligibility from the pandemic to return for a fifth season as a graduate student.

Throughout her career, Yastrub grew and developed as a player and as an energetic person, teammates said. Her personality wore off on teammates — Gardner recalled a time a few years ago when Yastrub was trying to energize her teammates in Syracuse’s locker room before a game but slipped on a banana. She played it off well, Gardner said, showing her role as the team’s entertaining personality.

“She’s hilarious all the time,” Gardner said.