UTICA, NY - The Utica University volleyball team will play on the road against Cazenovia College this Wednesday at 7 p.m. Utica will continue its season in the Oswego State Tournament against Oswego State and St. Lawrence University on September 16. Play will continue against Medaille University and SUNY Canton on September 17. The match against Medaille will not count towards the Empire 8 standings.
Follow Along: Those unable to attend the Cazenovia game can tune in with live video at
https://bit.ly/3L95BjL as well as live stats at
https://bit.ly/3BbAsaM. Oswego will provide live video at
https://bit.ly/3KirUlj and live stats at
https://bit.ly/3Bfd8sQ for each of Utica's four matches.
Last Time Out: Utica delivered some promising performances as they were able to win their last set at Potsdam and then a set sweep against Hilbert. Utica showed resilience by winning the third set to keep a straight-set loss at bay, but the Pioneers went on to drop a 3-1 decision at the hands of host Potsdam to open Saturday action. The Pioneers were led by an impressive five-ace performance from
Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham ), part of an impressive fourteen total service aces in the match for the team.
Brenna Stanton (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango) added three, and
McKenna LaPorte (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) had two of her own while also piling up nineteen digs. The Pioneers attacked at a solid 10.1 percent, with
Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) snagging thirteen kills to go with fourteen digs.
Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug ) tacked on seven, and
Peyton Migliaccio (Suffern, NY/Suffern) added on five to go with a pair of blocks.
Madison Maggiore (Orangeburg, NY/Tappan Zee) totaled 26 assists. Against Hilbert, Utica held a sizable advantage in hitting percentage at 19.8 percent, served up another thirteen aces, and converted those advantages into a four-set win. Maggiore totaled a team-high six aces in the match to go with her team-best 29 assists. Jones secured five service aces, while Laporte picked up three.
Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) picked up twelve kills and eight digs over the course of the match.
Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug ) totaled nine kills.
Stellar Play: Eleanor Cepiel (West Sand Lake, NY/Academy of Holy Names) has been playing phenomenally this season as she has 95.5 points on the year paired with 91 kills. She has recorded 12 or more kills in six out of seven games and has been a steady producer on offense. Cepiel has also been able to get it done on the defensive side with 73 digs behind team leader
Krystell Pappas (Owensboro, KY/Owensboro). Cepiel's all-around play has been a major part of the Pioneer's success this season.
Can You Dig It?: McKenna LaPorte (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) has been on a defensive surge over the past three games. LaPorte recorded 13, 19, and seven digs in her last three contests and has increased her digs per set up to 2.42 which is third on the team.
Krystell Pappas (Owensboro, KY/Owensboro) continues to be the anchor on defense as she leads the team in digs and digs per set with 82 and 4.10 digs per set. LaPorte and Pappas are key pieces in the defensive success that the Pioneers continue to use to battle in every game.
About Tournament: Utica will begin the Oswego State Tournament against Oswego who is 4-5. Oswego's key players are Grace Taylor, who has 100 points on the season, and Kaylee Troy who has totaled an outstanding 128 digs on the year and 3.56 digs per set. Following Oswego, Utica will face off against St. Lawrence who is 1-6 this season. St. Lawrence is led by Vivian Zymeck who boasts 63.5 points this season and averages 2.07 digs per set with 31 digs on the year. On Saturday, the Pioneers will first face Medaille University which will count as a non-conference match. Medaille is 0-7 this season and is led on offense by Halle Bogas who has 57.5 points on the year and averages 2.61 points per set. Bogas is also a presence on defense as she has recorded 51 digs this year which is second on the team behind Avery Ang's 56. To wrap up the tournament, Utica will square off with SUNY Canton who is 0-6 on the season. The offense is led by Emily Dreyer with 40 kills and Alyssa Adams who has 37 kills. On the defensive side, Kaylee Clark leads the squad with 84 digs and an incredible 4.00 digs per set.
Up Next: Following this week's matchup against Cazenovia and trip to the Oswego State Tournament, Utica will stay on the road to face SUNY Delhi at 7 p.m. on Monday, September 19th.
