UTICA, NY – The Utica College volleyball team hits the road for the Houghton Tournament hosted by Houghton College on Friday and Saturday. On Friday the Pioneers take on two nonconference opponents in SUNY Canton at 6 p.m. and Alfred State at 8 p.m. On Saturday the team takes on Empire 8 opponent Houghton College at 11 a.m. and nonconference opponent Oberlin College at 1 p.m.

Last Time Out: Utica split last Saturday's two matches winning one and losing the other … The first match was a 3-0 (25-18, 25-7, 25-23) loss to Nazareth College while the second match of the day was a 3-1 (25-22, 17-25, 25-18, 25-20) victory over Empire 8 opponent Alfred … Brandi Blaszak (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) had 19 kills on the weekend, Lora Allen (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) had 53 assists Saturday, and Alexis Lyon (Prospect, NY/Holland Patent) had 28 digs at the end of two games.

Block City: UC has three players over 45.0 blocks on the season … Blaszak leads the team with 67.0 blocks on the season … Freshman Nicole Herringshaw (Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) is second on the team with 65.0 blocks on the season … Third on the team is Laura Homer-Gunther (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit) with 46.0 total blocks on the season.

Can You Dig It?: Senior Alexis Lyon (Prospect, NY/Holland Patent) leads the team and the conference with 568 digs, and is second in the conference in digs per set (5.21) … Hannah Voss (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) is second on the team with 314 digs on the season … Allen is third on the team tallying 311 digs.

Helping Hand: Senior Lora Allen (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) leads the team and is third in the conference with 813 assists, and is seventh in the conference in assists per set (7.46) … She now has 2,066 career assists and is first all-time in career assists for Utica.

Killing It: The Pioneers have five players with over 100 kills on the year … Voss is first on the team with 250 kills … Blaszak is second on the team with 224 followed by Homer-Gunther who has 194 kills … Herringshaw is fourth on the team with 133 kills while Samantha Hoerning (Farmingville, NY/Sachem East) is in fifth with 111 kills so far this season.

Scouting SUNY Canton: The Kangaroos are 24-7 overall on the year … SUNY Canton is currently riding an eight game win streak that has stretched over two weeks … The Kangaroos are led by Morgan Bills (418 points, 310 kills, 65 service aces, and 61 blocks), Robyn Carroll (518 digs), and Peyton Robinson (1,037 assists).

Scouting Alfred State: The Pioneers are 23-4 overall on the year … Alfred State won its last match against Houghton College 3-2 ... The Pioneers are led by Janae Hamilton (320 points, 223 kills, and 72 blocks), Lera Braun (790 assists), and Madison Szpaicher (266 digs).

Scouting Houghton College: The Highlanders are 16-11 overall with a 5-3 Empire 8 record … Houghton is currently on a three game losing streak including two loses to Empire 8 opponents … The Highlanders are led by Hattie Burgher (309 points, and 286 kills), Anna Coryell (835 assists), and Naomi Prentice (82 blocks).

Scouting Oberlin College: Oberlin College is 7-15 overall with a 2-6 NCAC record … The team is currently on a four game losing streak … Oberlin is led by Ave Spencer (220.5 points, and 190 kills), Meredeth Leung (737 assists), and Molly Powers (347 digs).