The Utica University volleyball team won in a straight-set sweep against Russell Sage College on Friday night. The win was the team's 14th of the season which ties a program record that was set in 2002.
Sage popped out to a 7-3 lead as the team's serving was able to force Utica into tough situations. The Gators continued its run and held a 10-5 lead before the Pioneers cut the advantage to 10-8 as kills from
Peyton Migliaccio (Suffern, NY/Suffern) and
Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) led the rally. A pair of kills increased the Sage edge to 13-8 before the sides started to exchange leads. The Gators held a 19-17 edge before Utica had a six-point scoring rally fueled by
Krystell Pappas' (Owensboro, KY/Owensboro) serving and kills by
Kurstan Martin (Owego, NY/Tioga) and
Brianna Woods (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) to give the Pioneers a 23-18 edge. Utica won the first set 25-21 and began the match up 1-0.
The Gators had another strong start in the second set and led 5-2 before Utica came storming back to even the score at 5-5. Sage would have a four-point run, yet the Pioneers answered right back with a four-point run of their own as the offense was able to convert two kills and a pair of vicious attacks that forced the Gators into errors. The Pioneers cruised to a 20-13 edge before Sage was able to cut into the lead. Utica won the second set 25-22 and went up 2-0 in the match as
Madison Maggiore (Orangeburg, NY/Tappan Zee) made a nifty move to fake out the defense for the set's last point.
Sage continued to start the set out hot as the team was up 7-2 in a flash. The Pioneers regrouped and put together an astonishing 11-point scoring run fueled by
Hannah Johnson's (Murfreesboro, TN/Blackman) serving as its offense seemed unstoppable and put them ahead 13-7. Utica remained in control for the majority of the set and closed out the set on a Cepiel kill to conclude the final set 25-17 and a straight-set sweep.
Utica's offense was clicking today as the team was able to set up its heavy hitters and create plenty of points. The team compiled 32 kills with seven service aces. The top contributors to the offense via the kill were Cepiel (11), Martin (nine), and Migliaccio (five). Maggiore, Johnson, and Cepiel all tallied at least one service ace. Defensively, the team played terrific and was wreaking havoc for the Gators. Woods led the way with four blocks which were a career-high for her, and was followed by Maggiore (two) and Martin (one). Pappas, Cepiel, and
McKenna LaPorte (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) all recorded at least eight digs during tonight's contest. Pappas continues to shine as it was her second game out of her last three with at least 20 kills.
Utica (14-10, 4-4 Empire 8) will host Hartwick College for its final regular season Empire 8 match on Saturday, October 21 at 2 p.m.
