ALBANY, NY - The Utica College volleyball team fell in five sets on the road to the Sage Gators on Wednesday night.
The Pioneers took the first set from the Gators, 25-16. UC trailed 4-2 before going on a 6-1 run to take an 8-5 lead. Utica never trailed again in the set as
Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) finished with six kills and
Julyanna Sauschuck (Huguenot, NY/Port Jervis) ended the set with five kills to help give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.
After Sage took a close second set 25-22, Utica answered back with a 25-23 set three win of its own. The Gators came back late in the set to turn a 21-17 deficit into a 22-21 lead. However, the Pioneers responded by taking four of the following five points to claim a 2-1 set lead.
Sage held off Utica in the fourth set, 25-21, to force a decisive fifth set. There, neither team jumped out to more than a two-point lead which first came when UC climbed ahead 11-9. The Pioneers went ahead 12-10 before a Sage kill and two attack errors by Utica put the Gators back ahead, 13-12. An attack error by Sage and a kill by
Kurstan Martin (Owego, NY/Tioga) gave the Pioneers match point on the next serve. However, the Gators took the next three points on an attack error and a pair of kills to win the set 16-14 and the game, 3-2.
For the game, the Gators outhit the Pioneers .112 to .092 percent while also committing 29 attack errors to Utica's 40. UC did hold an advantage over Sage with nine aces to Sage's five and 60 kills to Sage's 51.
Kurstan Martin (Owego, NY/Tioga) led the team with 14 kills followed by
Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) with 12 and
Julyanna Sauschuck (Huguenot, NY/Port Jervis) with 11.
Krystell Pappas (Owensboro, KY/Owensboro) finished as the team leader with 24 digs while Cepiel finished with 18 and
Madison Maggiore (Orangeburg, NY/Tappan Zee) with 16. Maggiore also led the way with 22 assists and teammate
Hannah Johnson (Murfreesboro, TN/Blackman) followed with 20.
Caitlyn Esposito (Haddam, CT/Haddam-Killingworth) totaled three blocks for UC while Cepiel and Johnson tied for the team lead with three aces each.
UC (5-11, 2-1 Empire 8) faces a short turnaround as the team returns to the court to host Elmira College on Friday. The game is set to start at 6 p.m. from Miga Court.
