UTICA, NY - The Utica College volleyball team is set to play a trio of games this week. UC will travel to Oneonta, NY on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game against the Hartwick Hawks. Then on Saturday, the Pioneers will host a tri-match where they will take on SUNY Poly at 11 a.m. and King's College at 3 p.m. 
 
Follow Along: Hartwick will provide live video on Wednesday through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hartwick/. Saturday's tri-match will feature live video and stats for each of the three games through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. 
 
Last Time Out: Utica was able to fight off the visiting Alfred Saxons last Saturday afternoon, 3-2. UC took the first, fourth and fifth sets to overcome a strong effort by the Saxons. Madison Maggiore (Orangeburg, NY/Tappan Zee) recorded a career-high 36 assists in the win while Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) led UC with 16 kills followed by Kurstan Martin (Owego, NY/Tioga) with 15. Krystell Pappas (Owensboro, KY/Owensboro) finished with a game-high 24 digs while Cepiel totaled 18 and Maggiore finished with 14. Lainey Hayden (Owensboro, KY/Owensboro) finished with a game-high three blocks as well. 
 
Where We Stand: The Pioneers enter the week 6-12 overall and 2-3 in Empire 8 play, placing them sixth in the conference standings. UC has seven games remaining in the regular season, three of which against Empire 8 opponents; Hartwick, St. John Fisher and Nazareth. All three of those teams are currently ahead of Utica in the standings as well. The Pioneers have been one of the best teams in the conference with blocks and defending blocks as the team ranks third averaging 1.29 blocks per set and is second with 98 blocks overall. On defense, Utica tops the Empire 8 holding opponents to one block per set while ranking third allowing 76.5 blocks throughout the season. 
 
Long Time Coming: The Pioneers are enjoying its best season since 2017 and its best record in conference play since 2015, the last time the team recorded more than one win in Empire 8 play. The 2017 team won seven games on the season and with seven games left on the schedule this season, UC will have ample opportunity to pass that mark. 
 
Takes Two to Tango: Madison Maggiore (Orangeburg, NY/Tappan Zee) and Hannah Johnson (Murfreesboro, TN/Blackman) have accounted for 84 percent of all assists for UC this season. Maggiore leads the way with 288 while Johnson sits behind her with 214 assists. The two also combine to record six assists per set while the team averages just under eight. 
 
The Kurt and El Show: The team leaders in points, Kurstan Martin (Owego, NY/Tioga) (197) and Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) (196.5), are both right around the top-10 in the conference with 2.59 points per set. Cepiel leads the team with 174 kills and is second with 203 digs while Martin has accumulated 170 kills with a respectable .167 hitting percentage up to this point. With well over 300 kills between Martin and Cepiel the two have combined for 51 percent of the team's kills this season. 

Through the Woods: Even though she was sidelined last time out against Alfred, Brianna Woods (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) is still near the top of the conference with 38 blocks and a .302 hitting percentage through 65 sets played. The sophomore is also third on the team behind Martin and Cepiel with 108 kills as well as with 147.5 points on the year. 
 
Eyes on the Hawks: Hartwick enters the week 13-2 overall and 3-1 in the Empire 8, good enough for second place in the conference standings. The Hawks are riding a five-game winning streak and have not lost in its last 13 sets. The team ranks second in the conference with a .196 hitting percentage and 11.87 kills per set while leading the conference with 2.17 blocks per set. Toria Betelak leads the conference with a .329 hitting percentage while teammate and team leader in kills, Staecia Silofau, is fifth in the conference averaging 2.73 kills per set. On defense, Kailee Muscarello and Colette Maloney rank within the top-10 in the conference averaging over three digs per set. The team also has four of the top five leaders in blocks in the Empire 8. The Hawks defeated the Pioneers in the last meeting between the teams in 2019, 3-0. 
 
Round Two With the 'Cats: The SUNY Poly Wildcats are currently 5-10 overall, 3-2 in the NAC and will battle NAC opponent SUNY Cobleskill on Wednesday prior to Saturday's tri-match. Emma Draper leads the team with 118 kills and 142.5 points. On defense, four Wildcats have totaled over 100 digs so far this season while play around the net is far and few between as the team has totaled just 43 blocks over 15 games. Poly defeated Utica in five sets at home on September 4. 
 
A Look at King's: The Monarchs (14-2, 2-2 MAC Freedom) will have one game against Wilkes University before traveling to Utica for the tri-match on Saturday. Olivia Bunch and Danielle Kitchner are the two offensive standouts on the team as Bunch leads the charge with 165 kills while Kitchner is behind her with 125 of her own while leading the team with 38 blocks and a .486 hitting percentage, good enough for fourth in all of Division III. Five different Monarchs have over 100 digs on the year while Karissa Hartzell leads the team with 202. Wiatt Hoffmann also has totaled an impressive 409 assists through 52 sets played which puts her just outside of the top-100 for Division III. This will be the fifth meeting all-time between UC and King's and the third in the last four seasons. 

Up Next: UC will travel to Rochester, NY on Friday, October 22 for a 7 p.m. game against Nazareth College.