Girls volleyball: Barkdull sisters setting ‘gnarly’ example for deep Syracuse team
Titans cruise past Northridge in regular-season opener
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- Syracuse seniors Brinley Barkdull, left, and McKinley Barkdull, right, celebrate a point during a home nonregion girls volleyball contest against Northridge on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse. (CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse’s Miyah Lish, middle, watches Northridge return the ball during a home girls volleyball contest on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse. (CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse’s Brinley Barkdull goes up for the ball during a home girls volleyball contest against Northridge on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse. (CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse’s Presley Worthington, left, and Addie Saunders, middle, celebrate a point during a home girls volleyball contest against Northridge on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse. (CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner).
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- Syracuse’s Presley Worthington serving the ball during a home girls volleyball contest against Northridge on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at Syracuse High School in Syracuse. (CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner).
SYRACUSE — Megan Allred and the Syracuse Titans ended just short of the girls volleyball state championship last year, but the silver lining is the talent she welcomes back.
The Titans cruised by visiting Northridge in three sets (25-10, 25-7, 25-16) to begin the 2026 season in the win column Wednesday when many of those familiar faces were on display.
Carry on, the Titans (1-0) have, with multiple returning seniors, including twin hitters Brinley and McKinley Barkdull, recording 711 combined kills a year ago. Block leader Emily Kenison is gone, but juniors Addie Saunders and Isla Jensen stepped up Wednesday at middle blocker.
It’s tough front line and equally powerful on the return. The hard part, Allred said, is finalizing that blueprint and bringing it to the floor every week.
“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Allred said. “I just feel like we have a lot of talented kids and so for me, you’ve gotta figure out where to put them. … We’re just trying to find that lineup that’s going to be our starting lineup. … Usually in a game this early, we’re trying a lot of different things.”
The Barkdulls are back
Brinley and McKinley Barkdull are a package deal.
Syracuse’s twin sister duo served up the first match of their senior season to a satisfied home crowd. They’ve been part of the program since they were sophomores, and the days together in that particular gymnasium are numbered — they know that.
Brinley, who led the team with 329 kills (second in Region 1) as a junior, speaks with some confidence to just how close they’ve become during their high school careers.
“When we were younger, it was more challenging,” Brinley Barkdull said. “But as we grow, we’ve become each other’s favorite teammate. Because we have each other, we’re able to help each other get better. We’re always trying to be better than the other.”
You won’t find their secret in the stats, though.
“It’s the confidence in each other that helps us do what we do,” McKinley Barkdull said.
Allred, a former outside hitter for St. Mary’s College (California), played their very position from her time as a Titan through the Division I level. The Barkdull tandem, she said, has impacted her coaching job profoundly since taking over the program in 2024.
“The culture they bring to the team through their example and their work ethic is something super valuable to our program,” Allred said. “Having them as seniors, they’ve matured, they’ve grown up and now they get to go have fun and lead the team. They handle that pressure really well. … It shows on every level because of their example. They’re gnarly; it’s awesome.”
Ready to rock
Last fall saw Allred and Syracuse step closer to the coveted state title match, but the history books will forever show that they missed it. Back in the gym, Allred feels confident about the group of girls in front of her, and their ability to make another playoff run in 2026.
“For me, this group is athletic enough that we can push that ceiling really far,” Allred said.
It’s not just a feeling, either. The former Gael can point to maturity around the room, including senior libero Presley Worthington, who tallied a team-high 316 digs (fourth in Region 1) as a junior. Syracuse’s senior specialist isn’t easily rattled these days, Allred said.
“I think before, if something went wrong she’d kind of panic, but now she’ll just look at me and say ‘We’re good, I got it,'” Allred said of Worthington. “I can tell she’s maturing a lot. She has the most energy — she’s always smiling — and I don’t think there’s a day we come into practice where she’s not excited to be there. That’s a really fun kid to have in the gym.”
It’s a deep libero position with senior Neveah Silva and junior Bailey Blacker back to orchestrate the defense. Syracuse is deep at setter, too, with senior Miyah Lish, junior Sophie Knight and junior Emily Wheeler dialing up big-time hits for the Titans.
Asked about her team’s prospects this fall, Allred said they’re ready to flip the switch.
“I’m lucky enough to have a coaching staff that has a lot of experience, and we can start trying to run them more like a college-level team because I know that’s what their goals are. We’re going to try and be as creative as we can, but also just play good volleyball.”
Enjoying a 12-day break, Syracuse returns to action Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Fremont.
Connect with Standard-Examiner sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.
