Utica, NY - The six-seeded Utica College volleyball team is set to hit the road on Tuesday to take on the three-seeded Nazareth College Golden Flyers at 7 p.m. in the first round of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament. 
 
Follow Along: Fans can watch or keep up with live stats by following https://bit.ly/2MOZOjA. 
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers most recent match came at Elmira College on April 7. The team fell 3-0 while Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) led the team with seven kills. Briana Toledo (Ardsley, NY/Ardsley) recorded a game high 12 digs as well. 
 
It's Been A Long Time Coming: The Pioneers will be playing in the program's first postseason game for the first time in nearly 20 years. The team's last appearance in the Empire 8 tournament came in 2002 where the team fell 3-0 to RIT in the quarterfinals. 
 
Season Outlook: UC enters the E8 tournament with a 1-3 (1-3 Empire 8) record. The team has been one of the best blocking squads in the conference, finishing the season second in the E8 with 1.31 blocks per set. Toledo has put together a solid four games, placing third in the conference with 4.38 digs per set. Cepiel has also been one of the stars on the team as she finished her season averaging 3.19 points per set which is the best on the team as well as the fourth best in the E8. 
 
Not In My House: Brianna Woods (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) has been a brick wall for the Pioneers. The freshman is currently fourth in the Empire 8 averaging 0.69 blocks per set. Teammate Rosemarie Fesko (Goshen, NY/Goshen Central) is not far behind Woods as she's seventh in the conference with 0.56 blocks per set. 
 
Scouting Nazareth: The Golden Flyers are 4-2 (3-2 Empire 8) this season and enter the tournament field as one of the best statistical teams in the conference. They top the E8 with 10.21 assists per set and 11.04 kills per set while finishing near the top with a .149 hitting percentage while holding opponents to a .051 hitting percentage. Kaylee Kelly is one player to watch for as she finished third in the conference with 4.03 points per set which includes 71 kills in five games. 

Up Next: With a win UC would travel to take on two-seeded Elmira College on April 22 while a loss would end the Pioneers' season.