UTICA, NY - The Utica College women's tennis team starts its first postseason appearance since 2006 on Tuesday as they host Hartwick College. The third-seeded Pioneers battle the sixth-seeded Hawks at 6 p.m. inside the Todd and Jennifer Hutton Sports and Recreation Dome.

Closing Out The Regular Season: The Pioneers had their first winning season dating back to at least 2005 with a 4-2 team record. Utica has won three consecutive matches to finish out the regular season.

The Last Time in the Playoffs: UC last made the playoffs as part of the 2006 Empire 8 Championship. The Pioneers lost to Hartwick, Ithaca, and Alfred during their stay at the championships.

Against Hartwick In The Regular Season: The Pioneers blasted past the Hawks by a 9-0 score at the Hutton Dome on March 20th. Ellen Collie (Harbor Springs, MI), Ellen Lyga (New Hartford, NY/Notre Dame), Bianca Bockhaus (Shenorock, NY/Somers), and Haley Dekin (Castorland, NY) all won their singles matches, and the doubles teams of Lyga and Collie, and Bockhaus and Morgan Willis (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) easily took care of business. The remaining four matches on the card were forfeited by the Hawks.

Award Tour: The Pioneers had two Empire 8 Player of the Week selections this season. Ellen Lyga (New Hartford, NY/Notre Dame) won the award on March 22nd, and Ellen Collie (Harbor Springs, MI) won the award on March 15th. They were the first two winners of the award for Utica since 2016.

Almost Unbeatable: Freshman Ellen Collie (Harbor Springs, MI) has been almost impossible to stop in singles play this season. After playing the opening match at second singles, the rookie has ascended to the first singles post for the rest of the season and has yet to see a defeat in college singles action with a record of 6-0. Many of her victories have been by fairly comfortable margins this year, but Hartwick first singles player Jade Killikelly did take her into a tiebreaker set earlier this year. Her lone defeat as a college player has come in doubles, where she holds a 5-1 record.

Eye of the Lyga: Local product Ellen Lyga (New Hartford, NY/Notre Dame) has fit right in as expected as a college player after over four dominant seasons on the local high school scene with Utica Notre Dame. She is 5-1 in singles this season, and has won five in a row since moving to second singles.

Winner, Winner: Utica has five different players with a winning record in singles play this year. Morgan Willis (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) joins Collie in the undefeated ranks with a 5-0 record. She was among Utica's best players last year with a 5-3 record. Lyga is 5-1, and Michela Marturano (Syracuse, NY) and Haley Dekin (Castorland, NY) are 3-2. The team has a combined 24-8 singles record.

Doubling Up: The doubles tandem of Bianca Bockhaus (Shenorock, NY/Somers) and Morgan Willis (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) has been especially strong this season. The pair have teamed up for a 5-1 record at second doubles, and the duo have won their last three matches.

Where it Goes: The winner of this match will battle second-seeded St. John Fisher in the semifinals on Thursday, April 1st. If they advance to the semifinals, Utica has the potential to be an issue for the Cardinals, as the pair played to a 5-4 score in the regular season. The two teams split the singles matches 3-3, and the Cardinals took the win by winning two out of three doubles matches.