UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's tennis team will begin its 2022 season at 3:30 p.m. at home on Wednesday when the team hosts Russell Sage College. The Pioneers will conclude its week at noon on Saturday when they travel to Buffalo, NY to battle Medaille University.
Last Year: The Pioneers finished the 2021 season 3-7 overall with a 1-5 record in Empire 8 Conference play. Utica impressed at home last season as the team's 3-2 record marked a third-straight season with multiple home wins.
Schedule Breakdown: Utica is set to host five matches this season, hoping to improve upon its 3-2 home record the team posted last season. The home slate for the Pioneers consists of three conference matches against Alfred University (2-4 E8 2021), Nazareth College (6-0 E8 2021), and Houghton University (3-3 E8 2021), as well as two non-conference bouts with Russell Sage College and Oswego State. On the road, the team faces four conference matches against St. John Fisher University (4-2 E8 2021), Sage (2-4 E8 2021), Hartwick College (5-1 E8 2021), and newcomer to the Empire 8 Conference, Medaille University. Mount Saint Mary College will be the Pioneers' only non-conference road match for the season.
At the Helm: Head Coach
John Nigro is heading into his 36th year leading both the men's and women's tennis teams and is currently the longest tenured coach at Utica.
Who's Back: The Pioneers will return five players this season, all of whom will look to take on leadership roles with the loss of
Bianca Bockhaus (Shenorock, NY/Somers) and
Morgan Willis (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury).
Haley Dekin (Castorland, NY/Lowville Academy) returns after posting a 5-5 record in singles last season while
Victoria Vo (Utica, NY/Proctor) and
Ellen Lyga (New Hartford, NY/Notre Dame) are back after totaling three singles victories for the Pioneers in 2021.
Paetra Heeren (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) will also look to build off of her freshman campaign in 2021 while
Selma Dizdarevic () will enter her junior season. Dekin and Vo will look to power the Pioneers once again in doubles after leading the team with a 2-3 mark last fall.
Fresh Faces: Utica will send several newcomers to the court this season. Freshmen
Madison Brand (),
Emily DePasquale (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent),
Victoria Elefante (),
Ella Luzak (),
Nicole Nolan (), and
Jackie Roberts () will each make their collegiate debuts with the Pioneers this fall.
About Sage: The Sage Gators are coming to Utica after winning its season opener against Castleton University 6-3. The Gators went 5-1 in singles to secure their victory with wins in all but fifth singles. In doubles, the team of Emma Nuzzi and Tirzah Spivey blanked their opponent, 8-0. Wednesday's contest between Utica and Sage will not count towards the Empire 8 standings as the teams will meet again on October 8 for an Empire 8 match.
Scouting Medaille: The Mavericks are coming off of an 8-6 overall record and a 4-2 mark in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in 2021. Medaille eventually fell in its conference semifinal to Penn State Behrend, 5-1. Emily Jablonski returns to the team after recording a team high eight wins in singles play in her freshman season last year while classmate Arianna Lysiak finished tied for second on the team with seven singles wins in 2021.
Up Next: Utica will return home to host Alfred University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 17.
