UTICA, NY - The Utica University volleyball team gets back to action this week, first taking on the Union College Garnet Chargers on Wednesday before taking on the Oswego State Classic, hosted by Oswego State. Joining the Pioneers in the tournament is SUNY Canton, Hilbert College, SUNY Brockport. Penn State Behrend, and SUNY Morrisville. Friday's slate for Utica includes matchups against Hilbert at 5pm and Penn State Behrend at 7pm. Saturday the Pioneers take on Morrisville at 4pm and the host Oswego at 6pm.
Follow Along: All information regarding live video and stats can be found on the tournament landing page at
https://tinyurl.com/mtwmv9r5
Last Time Out: The team dominated the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Trailblazers in straight sets, 3-0 on September 7. Leading the charge for the Pioneer offense was
Jada Anthony (West Nyack, NY/Clarkstown South), who recorded a team high eight kills in the contest.
Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) tallied seven and
Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) recorded seven kills. At the service line,
Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) recorded four aces, Bailey recorded three, and
Cassandra Wagemann (Diamond Point, NY/Lake George) recorded one. On defense, Wagemann recorded 19 digs, Wright recorded 15, and Jones tallied seven. Both
Caitlyn Esposito (Haddam, CT/Haddam-Killingworth) and Bailey tallied a block.
The Wright Way: Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) has checked a lot of boxes for the Pioneers so far this season. On offense, the outside hitter leads the team in kills with 39. In 15 sets played, she is averaging 2.60 kills per set. She has been responsible for 48 Pioneer points in those sets, and leads the team and is in the top ten in the Empire 8 Conference in points per set average with 3.20. On defense, Wright as a defensive specialist leads the team in digs with 72. She currently leads the team, and conference in average digs per set with 4.80. In the back row, Wright has boasted a .937 serve reception percentage.
Heavy Hitters: Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham),
Peyton Migliaccio (Suffern, NY/Suffern), and
Jada Anthony (West Nyack, NY/Clarkstown South) have been a force to be reckoned with at the net for the Pioneers. Bailey has recorded 25 kills on the season so far. Her .208 hitting percentage is a mark good enough for third on the team. Migliaccio finds herself in third on the team's leaderboard, slamming 24 kills so far this season. Her .261 hitting percentage is a mark good enough for seventh on the Empire 8 leaderboard. Anthony has slammed home 23 kills so far this season. In the last game, Anthony boasted a .421 hitting percentage.
Absolutely Serving: Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) and
Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) have found themselves on the Empire 8 leaderboard for their efforts at the service line. Brennan's .75 aces per set is a mark good enough for third on the leaderboard, while Jones' .60 aces per set puts her in the ninth slot.
Digging It: Cassandra Wagemann (Diamond Point, NY/Lake George) and Wright have put together stellar performances in the back row for the Pioneers. Wright currently leads the team in digs with 72, followed by Wagemann with 66. Wagemann is not far behind Wright in digs per set average with 4.40. That's a mark good enough for the top three in the conference. The duo's defensive efforts have put the Pioneers at the top of the conference leaderboard.
Scouting Union: The Garnet Chargers have boasted a 7-3 record so far this season. Leading the offense for Union is Shannon McGrath who has recorded 114 kills so far this season. She is currently averaging 4.16 points per set, and averaging 3.35 kills per set. She has also tallied 25 service aces. On defense, Georgia Pool leads the charge tallying 146 digs. She is currently averaging 4.29 digs per set, and has posted a .915 serve reception percentage. This is the first time that the Pioneers will square off against the Garnet Chargers in over a decade. The last time these two teams met was in 2012, where Union took the matchup 3-0.
Looking at Hilbert: The Hilbert College Hawks are currently 1-7 on the season so far. The team's only win this season was against conference foe Keuka College, defeating the Wolves in straight sets, 3-0. Molly McKinnon currently leads the Hawks at the net with 28 kills. She is currently averaging two kills per set. Jessee Jonathan has been the leading helping hand leading the team with 55 assists. On defense, Natalie Ruhlmann has registered 44 digs, averaging 3.38 digs per set. The Hawks and Pioneers have met five times in the program's history. All time Utica is up in the win column, 3-2. The last time these two teams have squared off, Utica took the match 3-1.
Scouting Penn State Behrend: The Penn State Behrend Lions have posted a 2-10 record so far this season. In the twelve matches the team has played, the Lions have only won seven sets. Leading the Lions offense is freshman Cadence Jones, who has tallied 139 kills on the season so far. Her 3.48 kills per set average and .260 hitting percentage is a mark good enough for the team lead. She has also been dominant at the service line, recording 18 service aces. On defense, Sara Nobach has dominated the back row, recording 141 digs on the season so far. Sophia Fuller has been a force on the defensive side of the net, recording seven solo blocks and 25 block assists. Last season, the Pioneers squared off against the Lions for the first time, with the Lions sweeping the Pioneers 3-0.
About Morrisville: The Mustangs spout a 5-4 record this season. Emily Huppee leads the team offensively, with a total of 183 kills this season, averaging 4.69 per set. Huppee also leads the team in service aces totalling 22 this season. Samantha Siedlecki and Autumn Dailey are a wall at the net totalling 26 and 23 blocks this season, respectively. The Pioneers have not faced The Mustangs since 2021 where it was a Pioneer sweep.
Looking at Oswego: The Lakers have a 5-5 record to start the season. Priscilla McReynolds leads the team with 102 kills, followed by Cara Simplicio with 61. McReynolds also leads the Lakers in digs with 89 followed by Grace Gdovin with 72. At the net, Lilian Byrne totals 18 blocks followed by Kalley Vugteveen with 13. Last year against Oswego, the Pioneers beat the Lakers 3-0.
Up Next: The Pioneers return home to host the SUNY Cobleskill Tigers on Tuesday September 24. Game time at Miga Court is slated for 7pm.
