Utica, NY (10/9/12)- The Utica College volleyball team heads across town, Wednesday to take on local rival, SUNYIT.  Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers are coming off two losses at the Oswego Invitational on Saturday… Utica dropped the first game 3-0 to SUNY Canton, before falling 3-1 to Oswego… Sophomore Cassandra Manzer (Portcrane, NY/Chenango Valley) led the Pioneers with 13 kills and five blocks on the day.

Where We Sit: Utica is currently 5-14 overall and 1-4 in the Empire 8 conference… UC is tied with Hartwick for seventh in the conference standings.

Leading the Way: Sophomores Madison Bayer (Islip Terrace, NY/East Islip) and Cassandra Manzer (Portcrane, NY/Chenango Valley) lead the team with 133 kills apiece… Bayer also had a team-best 16 service aces and is third on the squad with 109 digs…. Manzer is second on the team in digs (118) and third in aces (11)… Classmate Briona Enny (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) has a team-high 162 digs, while Chelsea Lauria (Erieville, NY/Cazenovia) has 239 assists on the year.

Higgins' Homecoming: Utica head coach Nicole Higgins will be returning to her alma mater, Wednesday… Higgins holds the Wildcats' all-time record for career assists after recording 3,118 during her four-year stint.

Scouting SUNYIT:  The Wildcats are 11-15 overall and 6-1 in the NEAC… They currently hold a five-game winning streak and are coming off a four-game sweep in NEAC play… The Pioneers won the first meeting between the teams this year by a score of 3-2.

Looking Ahead: Following this, Utica travels to Oneonta, NY for the Hartwick Invitational this weekend… Game times are still being determined.



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