Utica, NY (9/19/13)- The Utica College volleyball team looks to get back on track as it opens up Empire 8 Conference play at the E8 crossover hosted by Hartwick College.  The Pioneers will take on Hartwick Friday at 4 p.m. followed by back-to-back games on Saturday against Houghton College and Stevens Institute of technology, at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers are coming off a 3-0 loss to Oswego on Wednesday… Cassandra Manzer (Portcrane, NY/Chenango Valley) had a team-high six kills, while Lora Allen (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) led the squad with 11 assists, and Briona Enny (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) had 12 digs… Freshman Brandi Blaszak (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro), helped out with five kills and one block, while Enny, Laura Homer-Gunther (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit), Ashley Jones (Charlton, NY/Galway) and Hayley Strife (Lowville, NY/Lowville) chipped in with two kills each… Leah Kazalski (Greene, NY/Greene), Chelsea Lauria (Erieville, NY/Cazenovia), Liz Sacco (Franklin, Mass. /Franklin), Alyssa Nicotera (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills), and Carly Lonczak (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) also registered kills on the evening.

Leading the Way: Freshman Brandi Blaszak (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) leads the team with 84 kills and 29 blocks… Junior Briona Enny (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) has a team-best 118 digs, while sophomore Lora Allen (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) has 162 assists and 26 service aces… Sophomore Laura Homer-Gunther (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit) is second on the squad in kills (63) and blocks (27). 

Scouting Hartwick: The Hawks are 2-11 overall and coming off an 0-4 weekend at the Union invitational… Junior Dana Martin has a team-high 71 kills and 15 service aces, while sophomore Taylor Vonasek leads the squad with 26 blocks… The Hawks finished last season with a 15-16 record and a 3-4 mark in conference play… UC is 1-12 against Hartwick in the last five years… Last season, Utica fell to the Hawks 3-0 in the only meeting between the two teams.

Scouting Houghton: The Highlanders are 7-1 on the season and currently on a four-game win streak… Sophomore Hattie Burgher has 82 kills on the season and is third on the team with 103 digs, while junior Laurel Wroblicky leads the team with 174 digs… Utica is 0-2 against Houghton in the all-time series.  Last year, the Pioneers fell to the Highlanders 3-0 in their only match up of the season. 

Scouting Stevens: The Ducks are sporting an impressive 12-1 record, but recently had their 12-game season-opening winning streak snapped by SUNY New Paltz on Wednesday… They are led by freshman Mary Tobin (150 kills), and Katie Hall… Tobin leads the team with 150 kills, while Hall has compiled 41 blocks and 26 aces so far… The Pioneers are 0-5 against Stevens since 2008… Last year, the Ducks topped UC 3-0 at the Empire 8 crossover hosted by Utica. 

Looking Ahead: Utica will continue Empire 8 Conference play Wednesday as it welcomes Nazareth College to the Clark Athletic Center… Game time will be at 7 p.m.


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