UTICA, NY- The Utica College volleyball team travels to Houghton College on Saturday for their first empire 8 Conference pod of the season.  The Pioneers will take on Stevens Institute of Technology at 1:30 p.m. before facing Houghton at 4 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utica is coming off a 3-1 loss to Hartwick Wednesday evening… The Pioneers took the first game 25-19, but the Hawks responded to win the next three (25-19, 25-12, 25-12) to come away with the victory… Junior Nicole Herringshaw (Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) had a season-high 17 kills, and she also led the squad with three blocks, while classmate Marissa Faroni (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) totaled a season-best 25 assists… Hannah Voss (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) had a team-high three aces and she finished second on the squad in both kills (seven) and digs (14)… Abigail Mosenthin (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) led the defense with 22 digs.
 
LEADING THE WAY: Nicole Herringshaw (Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) leads the team and ranks second in the conference with 44 blocks and .98 blocks per set… The junior also has a team-leading 101 kills… Hannah Voss (St. Louis, MO/Oakville) has collected a team-best 146 digs and 22 aces, and she is second on the squad with 74 kills, while Marissa Faroni (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) leads the squad with 178 assists.
 
SCOUTING STEVENS: The Ducks, who made it to the NCAA Tournament last season, are off to a 12-2 start so far… After losing two matches to teams ranked in the top-15 nationally during the first weekend of play, Stevens has rattled off ten straight wins… Last year, UC dropped a 3-0 decision to the Ducks.
 
SCOUTING HOUGHTON: The Highlanders are 6-7 overall and they are coming off a 3-1 win over Alfred State on Tuesday… Houghton has two players with over 100 kills so far… Naomi Prentice has 124 kills and 35 blocks, while Ally Bittinger has 104 kills and 20 blocks… Utica is 0-5 against Houghton in the last five years… Last year, the Pioneers fell to the Highlanders 3-0.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: UC remains on the road on Monday as it travels to SUNY Delhi… Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.