Utica, NY (9/23/14)- The Utica College volleyball team returns to action Tuesday night as it travels to Hartwick College for an Empire 8 Conference match up.  Game time is set for 7 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers (6-6) are coming off a split in their opening weekend of conference play… UC downed Alfred University 3-0, before falling to Nazareth 3-0… Freshman Alaina Wickwire (Towanda, PA/Towanda) had 12 kills and 11 digs on the weekend, while sophomore Brandi Blaszak (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) had 11 kills, 11 digs, and five blocks… Junior Lora Allen (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) had 34 assist and senior Briona Enny (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) had 32 digs, including a season-high 25 against Alfred.
 
LEADING THE WAY: Sophomore Brandi Blaszak (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) leads the team with 103 kills and 25 blocks… She ranks fifth in the conference with a .296 hitting percentage and is third in blocks… Junior Lora Allen (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) has a team-best 284 assists and her 7.79 assists per set rank fourth in the E8.
 
FRESHMEN FITTING IN: Freshman Alaina Wickwire (Towanda, PA/Towanda) is second on the squad with 82 kills… She also has 56 digs and seven blocks… Classmate Samantha Hoerning (Farmingville, NY/Sachem East) is third on the team in kills (56) and blocks (10)… Wickwire is seventh in the conference with a .250 hitting percentage, while Hoerning is ninth (.233).
 
SCOUTING HARTWICK: The Hawks are 4-10 overall and 0-3 in the Empire 8… They are coming off an 0-2 weekend as they hosted an Empire 8 Crossover in which they lost 3-0 to both Ithaca and St. John Fisher… Senior Dana Martin has a team-high 112 kills and 17 blocks… Last year, Hartwick narrowly escaped with a 3-2 win in their first meeting, and then the Hawks won 3-1 in the second match up of the year.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Pioneers return to action this weekend as they travel across town to the Wildcat Classic, hosted by SUNYIT… UC takes on Alfred State Friday at 7 p.m. and will face SUNYIT Saturday at 11 a.m. followed by Elmira at 1 p.m.


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