UTICA, NY – The Utica College volleyball team hits the road this weekend as it travels to Hoboken, NJ, for the Steven's Invitational. Utica will take on Stevens Institute of Technology on Friday, and on Saturday the team will face Western Connecticut State, and Marietta College.

Last Time Out: UC dropped a competitive match to Empire 8 Conference foe Hartwick College 3-1 on Tuesday evening… After winning the first set to get the early lead the Pioneers dropped the final three sets in a row... Junior Brandi Blaszak (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) led the Pioneers with a season-high 14 kills, while senior Alexis Lyon (Prospect, NY/Holland Patent) compiled 31 digs, just two shy of her career-best… Sophomore Samantha Hoerning (Farmingville, NY/Sachem East) and senior Laura Homer-Gunther (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit) combined for 17 kills on the attack and senior Lora Allen (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) dished out 37 assists…  Freshman Hannah Voss (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) helped out on the defensive side as she gathered 18 digs, one off her career mark.  

Killing It: Utica College has three players with at least 120 kills … Freshman Hannah Voss (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) leads the team with 153 kills on the year … Senior Laura Homer-Gunther (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit) is in second with 123 kills and junior Brandi Blaszak (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) is third on the team with 120.

Digs: The Pioneers have three players with at least 170 digs… Senior Alexis Lyon (Prospect, NY/Holland Patent) leads the team with 330 dig so far … Voss is in second with 179 and Senior Lora Allen (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) is third on the team with 170 digs.

Adding Assists: Allen leads the team and ranks fifth in the E8 with 451 assists on the season… She added 37 assists against Hartwick College on Tuesday night… She now has 1,693 assists in her record setting career.

Triple Block: UC has three players with at least 25 blocks on the team … Homer-Gunther leads the team with 35 blocks … Blaszak is second on the team with 33 blocks and freshman Nicole Herringshaw (Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) is third on the team with 25 blocks so far this season.

Scouting Stevens: The Ducks are 8-8 overall with a 2-0 Empire 8 record …Stevens is coming off of two straight conference victories against St. John Fisher and Alfred University… The Ducks are led by junior Mary Tobin (184 Kills), senior Catie Shelton (385 assists), senior Annemarie Thomas (29 blocks), and sophomore Sydni Horner (305 digs).

Scouting Western Connecticut State: The Western Connecticut women's volleyball team is 8-7 overall and 1-1 in the Little East Conference … The Colonials are coming off of a 3-0 loss against Tufts… The team is led by juniors Karissa Smith (180 kills), Danielle Kaminsky (430 assists), Cady Cordes (185 digs), and sophomore Brittany Steele (37 blocks).

Scouting Marietta College: The Raiders are 7-8 overall with a 1-0 Ohio Athletic Conference record … Marietta has lost the last three games they have played in… The Raiders are led by senior Devin Walter (129 kills), junior Julia Moskaluk (275 assists), senior Mary Ervin (262 digs), and senior Shauntiel Oliver-Smith (21 blocks).

Looking Ahead: The Pioneers continue their road trip, stopping at SUNY Cobleskill on Thursday night … The game is scheduled for 7 p.m.