Akiko Hatakeyama

Biography

Akiko Hatakeyama joined Syracuse Univesrity in January of 2023 and is entering her third full season as the Associate Head Coach of the program. Hatakeyama joined the Orange after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada at Reno during the 2022 season. She coordinated team travel, managed equipment, and worked with the setters while assisting with compliance and recruiting. Hatakeyama and Head Coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam have experience coaching alongside one another already, with Hatakeyama serving on Temple's staff as an Assistant Coach (2011-2016) before being promoted to Associate Head Coach (2017-2020). Additionally, Hatakeyama brings 11 years of professional experience having played in Europe following a successful collegiate career where she played for Southern Mississippi and Temple. “We are thrilled that coach Akiko is joining us at Syracuse,” said head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam. “She has competed at an extremely high level as a collegiate athlete and on the professional stage. Hatakeyama is an experienced coach, has proven to be one of the best-setting coaches in the country, and is an excellent recruiter. She will serve as an excellent mentor for our student-athletes on and off the court as well.” “I’m so grateful that Bakeer has given me the opportunity to join such a respected volleyball program,” said Hatakeyama. “This program has a lot of potential and I’m beyond excited to see what we will achieve as a team.” Before her stint at Reno, Akiko wo