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In 2021, Nikki Shimao arrived at Temple’s practice just like any other day. At the time, she was a sophomore walk-on. Little did she know that then-Owls head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam would reveal in front of the whole team that she’d be going on scholarship.

Shimao broke down to tears. She thought about her parents, who allowed her to move cross-country as a walk-on and all the hard work she’d put in at a new position in a new environment.

“Nikki is an unbelievable hard worker,” Ganesharatnam said. “She truly earned her scholarship, and I was really happy at that time that we had this scholarship available and that we were able to award that to somebody like her.”

Despite being 5,000 miles away from her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii, Shimao found a home in north Philadelphia. The setter/defensive specialist became a crucial part of Temple’s roster, playing in 240 sets, with 464 digs and 179 assists stats over four seasons. This past offseason, Shimao transferred to Syracuse, reuniting with Ganesharatnam for her fifth and final season of eligibility.

Shimao arrived on Temple’s campus in July 2020. Though she was a long way from home, Temple had a history of recruiting other Hawaiians like Nikki Saito, Falankia Danielson and Xeryah Salanoa, who were already on the team, aiding her decision.

Initially recruited as a defensive specialist, Shimao was forced to play setter during her freshman year. She constantly took extra reps passing to the middle blockers as she learned the new position.

Taylor Davenport, another member of Temple’s 2020 recruiting class, got to see Shimao’s development firsthand, working as a setter with her. The two lived together for three years and spent numerous hours with each other. Shimao even hosted Davenport in Hawaii during a summer break.
“I feel like we all just grew so much and we relied on each other a lot,” Davenport said. “I learned a lot from her. She learned a lot. We just learned a lot as we navigated college together.”

After her senior year, Shimao entered the transfer portal looking for a new challenge.

When Shimao entered the portal, Syracuse didn’t have much depth at libero — Shimao’s position. Then-freshman Greta Schlichter was the only libero on SU’s roster along with incoming freshmen Ashlee Gnau and Emma Ortiz. Lacking depth and experience, Ganesharatnam was eager to add a familiar face.

“Once Nikki graduated and she was in the portal, I was really happy to see her name and we knew that she’s going to help us in the libero position,” Ganesharatnam said. “We knew what she was able to do for us at Temple when we had the opportunity to work together, and we wanted to create more depth in that position.”

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With Syracuse, Shimao was drawn to the opportunity to play in the highly-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference. Shimao’s familiarity with its coaching staff was another major part of her decision. SU assistant coach Akiko Hatakeyama, who also coached Shimao at Temple, reached out to her last December, asking if she wanted to visit Syracuse. Once Shimao visited campus, it heightened her desire to transfer.

“Seeing (Hatakeyama and Ganesharatnam) for the first time in years, and the campus, I was immediately drawn toward (Syracuse),” Shimao said.

Following the visit, Shimao discussed transfering to SU with her family in Hawaii before making the decision official.

“I took my time to go home and think about it … and (my family was) really excited about it. So I would say the visit really helped,” Shimao said.

Prior to the season, Ganesharatnam named Shimao one of SU’s three captains. The third-year head coach described Shimao as a seasoned veteran who brought stability to the libero position, something Syracuse didn’t have previously.

“Having (Shimao) is completely different because she’s a very experienced player. (She’s) a player that can help younger players, guide them, sit down with them, have conversations with them, explain to them what she went through,” Ganesharatnam said. “She brings a completely different wealth of experience, a completely different value to the program than she did when she came in as a freshman to Temple.”

For Shimao, she hasn’t seen any differences in how Ganesharatnam operates at SU from his time at Temple. Fundamentally, the goals are the same.

To start the season, Shimao missed all 12 of Syracuse’s nonconference games due to injury but has gotten into a groove since late September. She’s played 56 sets in 16 games for Orange, amassing 87 digs and 11 assists. Her consistency at libero has been crucial for SU. Ganesharatnam described her as a tenacious defender and a great passer, a skill she learned as a setter her freshman year.

“I can’t really say enough of the value she brings to our program,” Ganesharatnam said.

Published on November 18, 2024 at 10:42 pm

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