The Utica College women's volleyball team defeated host Hamilton College 3-2 (14-30, 30-25, 15-30. 30-22, 15-13) Wednesday night in non-conference action.

The Pioneers won their second straight contest, a feat they did not accomplish last season, and improved to 5-8 on the year. Hamilton drops to 0-10 overall. UC avenged a 3-1 (30-25, 30-26, 28-30, 30-24) loss to Hamilton in 2006 at the Clark Athletic Center.

The Pioneers got off to a slow start and only tallied 14 points in the first game, but they battled back to win the second. Again, the Pioneers stumbled only scoring 15 points in the third game, but cruised in the next to sets to defeat the Continentals. Hamilton out scored UC 120-104 on the day but timely scoring by the Pioneers ended in their fifth win of the season.

Karen Crisanti (Geneva/Geneva) led all Pioneers with 14 kills and a season-high 33 digs, while senior classmate Andrea Dekker (Reeths-Puffer/Muskegon, MI) posted 11 kills, three service aces and eleven digs. Freshman setter Kaitlin Farruggia (Mt. Markham/Leonardsville) assisted on 31 kills, while tallying a game-high four service aces. Dekker now has 106 kills and Crisanti eclipsed the 250 dig mark on the year.

Sophomore outside hitter Brielle Swerdlin (W. Morris Mendham/Chester, NJ) tallied two kills, 17 digs and one service ace for UC. Swerdlin has 54 kills in 45 games played this year. Middle hitter Mereoni Vunibobo (Cathedral/Jamaica) blocked four shots and tallied two kills, while sophomore outside hitter Melissa Austin (Beaver River/Castorland) notched ten kills and 17 digs. Austin leads the team with 23 service aces, while Vunibobo ranks second on the team with 36 blocks.

UC returns to action Friday at the Empire 8 Conference Cross Over Tournament host by St. John Fisher College.  Latest results will be available on the web:  CLICK HERE
                                      (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) #