Utica, NY - The Utica College women's volleyball team is scheduled to go on the road for the first time since Sept. 14 to face the Sage Gators Wednesday night at 7 p.m. This is the sole road match for the Pioneers before they return home this Saturday to host King's College and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

Home Stand: Over a lengthy seven-game home stand for the Pioneers, they notched their second win of the season over Cazenovia College on Sept. 21 in a convincing 3-0 decision. The early parts of this match were as close as they could get, with Cazenovia posting 18 points in the first set and 19 in the second. The largest margin of victory for UC came in the third, topping the Cougars by a score of 25-11. Junior Meaghan Romaguera (Stone Ridge, NY/Rondout) once again had a fantastic match, posting a team-high nine kills while adding 15 digs and two service aces. Freshman Taylor Crowley (Washington Township, NJ/Washington Township) continued her defensive success, posting a team-high 20 digs. Sophomore Kurstan Martin (Owego, NY/Tioga) finished right behind Crowley with 16 digs.

Versatility: Romaguera has packed her stat line so far this year, as she leads the team in kills with 92 and currently sits in second in digs with 151.

Underclassmen Dominance: The freshman and sophomore classes of this year's team have been very impressive thus far, both offensively and defensively. Four of the top five dig leaders in 2019 are freshmen, with Taylor Crowley (Washington Township, NJ/Washington Township) totaling  a team-high 106 thus far. Freshmen Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) (118) and Cameron Boehlert (Utica, NY/Whitesboro ) (98), along with sophomore Jenna Prewasnicak (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili) (67), round out the top five in this category as well. The same holds true offensively, with sophomores Rosemarie Fesko (Goshen, NY/Central) (3rd - 60),  Alicja Swiechowska (Carmel, NY/Carmel) (4th - 54), Kurstan Martin (Owego, NY/Tioga) (5th - 47) and Cepiel (2nd - 69) all finishing in the top five of this category. Prewasnicak also leads the team in assists with 144 while sophomore Casey Sims (Schenectady, NY/Niskayuna) is right behind her with 83.

Favorable History: Utica has a 5-10 all-time record against Sage, but took home the sole matchup against them last season by a 3-2 decision. The Pioneers took the first set 25-7, but Sage bounced back to take the next two. Utica then battled back from a 2-1 deficit and took the last two sets 25-15 and 15-13 to secure its third win of the season. Romaguera led the charge in this one, posting six kills and one block.

Scouting Sage: The Gators have accumulated a 3-14 season thus far, with their three wins coming over Bard, Salem State and SUNY Cobleskill. Last season, they finished with a 5-24 record and only graduated two seniors.

Up Next: The Pioneers return home to host King's College at 1 p.m. and MCLA at 5 p.m. in Breast Cancer Awareness Day at Utica College