Utica, NY - The Utica College volleyball team will look to bounce back this week after starting the season 0-3. UC is set to play its home opener on September 8 at 7 p.m. against SUNY Delhi followed by matches against Norwich and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) on September 11 in North Adams, MA.
Last Time Out: UC opened the season with three road losses, dropping one match to Fredonia in four sets, one to SUNY Poly in five sets, and Plattsburgh St. in three sets.
How to Watch: Fans can follow
https://bit.ly/2wtxUV5 on Wednesday to watch the team's home opener against Delhi. On Saturday, fans can tune in from North Adams, MA by following
https://bit.ly/3tlbJwc.
Impressive Debut: Krystell Pappas (Owensboro, KY/Owensboro) had a phenomenal first week to begin her collegiate career. In three matches, Pappas recorded 39 digs, the sixth most in the E8, and 3.55 digs per set, third in the conference and the most by any freshman in the E8. Offensively, the Kentucky native finished with nine assists over 11 sets which is the third most on the team behind
Hannah Johnson's (Murfreesboro, TN/Blackman) 39 and
Madison Maggiore's (Orangeburg, NY/Tappan Zee) 28. To top it off, the freshman notched six service aces over the course of the week.
She's Everywhere: Kurstan Martin (Owego, NY/Tioga) led the offensive attack for UC over its first three matches. The 5-9 senior led the team with 21 kills and 26 points over 12 sets. Martin also played a large part on the defensive side, notching 19 digs and two blocks.
Shaking off the Rust: Not to be overshadowed by Pappas and Martin,
Brianna Woods (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) and
Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) had quality outings throughout the first week of the season. Woods and Cepiel each finished with 19 kills, second behind Martin's 21, while Cepiel added four service aces and Woods finished the week with three. On defense, Woods displayed her presence around the net that she showed in a shortened 2020 season as the sophomore added four blocks and 11 digs. Cepiel went on to record 18 digs over 12 sets played.
About the Broncos: SUNY Delhi comes into the week 1-2 overall, dropping its first two matches to Sage (3-2) and Marywood (3-1) before defeating Sarah Lawrence in five sets. As a team, Delhi averaged nine kills per set and 16 digs per set over its first three matches. Bailee Jones, Grace Thomas and Witchney Clersainville are the top-three on the team with over 20 kills each. Jones also leads the team with 48 digs as well as her 29 kills. UC is 3-4 all-time against Delhi.
Scouting Norwich: The Cadets claimed its first two matches of 2021 to start the season 2-0. On September 4, Norwich took down Castleton and Northern Vermont-Lyndon in three sets each. This will be the first meeting between UC and Norwich. Kathryn Farnum led the charge last week for the Cadets, finishing first on the team with 19 kills and 14 digs.
A Look at MCLA: The Trailblazers won its only match of the week, a 3-1 win over Mount Holyoke. Reagan Scattergood and Kelly Moczulski led MCLA with 14 kills each over four sets while Ellie Walter-Goodspeed finished with a team-high 15 digs, followed by Scattergood with 11. UC is 0-1 all-time against MCLA.
