Utica, NY (9/14/12)- The Utica College volleyball team heads to Schenectady, NY, for the Union Invitational this weekend.  The Pioneers face Union and Sage Friday, before taking on Oneonta and Cortland on Saturday.

Last Time Out: Utica defeated SUNY Cobleskill 3-2 on Wednesday… Junior Hayley Strife (Lowville, NY/Lowville) had six aces, seven kills, two solo blocks, and two block assists… Sophomores Cassandra Manzer (Portcrane, NY/Chenango Valley) and Madison Bayer (Islip Terrace, NY/East Islip) totaled 28 kills, while classmates Kellee Furno (Baltimore, MD/Maryvalle) and Chelsea Lauria (Erieville, NY/Cazenovia) combined for 41 assists.

Manzer the Monster: Sophomore Cassandra Manzer (Portcrane, NY/Chenango Valley) ranks in the top two on the team in five statistical categories… She leads the squad with 54 kills, and is second in blocks (six), aces (six), and digs (35)… She is currently averaging 10.8 kills per match.

Helping Out: Madison Bayer (Islip Terrace, NY/East Islip), Briona Enny (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury), and Chelsea Lauria (Erieville, NY/Cazenovia) have also chipped in for Utica… Bayer has 49 kills and 19 digs, while Enny leads the team with 45 digs, and Lauria has a team-best 141 assists.

Scouting Union: The Dutchwomen are currently 7-2 overall and are coming off a 3-1 loss to Middlebury College… They are  7-0 against Utica dating back to 2004… Last year Union defeated UC 3-0 in the only meeting between the two teams

Scouting Sage: The Gators are 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the Liberty League Conference… They are coming off a 3-0 win over Bard College on Wednesday… Utica is 0-5 against Sage since 2008… The Gators topped Utica 3-0 and 3-1 in their two meetings last year.

Scouting Oneonta: Oneonta is 7-2 and is currently on a 4-game winning streak…  On Tuesday, the Red Dragons downed the University of Scranton 3-0… This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

Scouting Cortland: Cortland is 9-0 overall and currently ranked no. 9 in the nation… It is coming off a 3-0 win over Brockport on Wednesday… This will be the first meeting between Utica and Cortland.

Looking Ahead: Following this, the Pioneers return to action Wednesday as they travel to Oswego for a non-conference match against the Lakers… Game time is set for 7 p.m.


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