UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's volleyball team returns home this week to take on the SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers. Game time on Tuesday, September 24 is set for 7pm inside the Clark Athletic Center.
Follow Along: Live video can be found at
https://empire8network.com/utica/ and live stats can be found at
https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Last Time Out: The Utica University volleyball team fell in both matches today on day two of the Oswego Classic, hosted by Oswego State. The Pioneers fell 3-1 to SUNY Morrisville, and 3-0 to Oswego State. Against Morrisville, leading the Pioneer offense was
Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) who tallied 16 kills in the contest.
Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) recorded 13 kills and
Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) tallied seven of her own. Lending a helping hand was
Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham), who tallied 23 assists on the afternoon. At the service line, Brennan recorded three service aces while Jones recorded two. On defense,
Cassandra Wagemann (Diamond Point, NY/Lake George) tallied 20 digs, with Wright recording 14 and Jones recording 13. The trio of Jones, Bailey, and
Jada Anthony (West Nyack, NY/Clarkstown South) each recorded three blocks in the contest. Against Oswego, leading the Pioneer offense was
Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) who had recorded eight kills in the contest, followed by
Jada Anthony (West Nyack, NY/Clarkstown South) who recorded seven and
Meghan Brennan (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) who recorded five. In the Pioneers effort,
Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) dished out 17 assists. At the service line, Anthony, Brennan, and Jones each recorded an ace. On defense, Wright tallied 20 digs while
Cassandra Wagemann (Diamond Point, NY/Lake George) recorded 17. Anthony, Jones, and
Mackenzie O'Brien (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) each recorded a block in the contest.
Where We Stand: Prior to opening Empire 8 Conference play the Pioneers find themselves in the middle of the pack in the overall standings compared to other schools in the conference. Out of 33 sets played, Utica has won 14 of those sets. As a team offensively, the Pioneers are averaging 10.67 kills per set, 9.52 assists per set, and 2.03 service aces per set. On defense, the Pioneers are averaging 19.24 digs per set, a mark that leads the conference. Utica has also allowed the second least service aces to opponents, only allowing on average 1.58 aces per set.
Not in Kansas Anymore: Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) has been all gas no brakes for the Pioneers so far this season. The outside hitter has slammed 107 kills, a mark that is good enough for seventh on the Empire 8 conference leaderboard. She currently leads the team in points with 115.5, which is also good enough for seventh on the conference leaderboard. She posted career highs in points (17) and kills (16) in the Oswego Classic against Morrisville, and was named to the Oswego Classic All-Tournament Team. On defense, the defensive specialist currently leads the conference in digs with 164, averaging 4.97 digs per set.
Helping Hand: Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) has been dishing out assists left and right for the Pioneers. Through nine games, Jones is currently averaging 30.45 assists per game, a mark that if continued would break the single season assists per game record, and place her in the top five in the single season assists record leaderboard. She currently sits in the top three in the conference in assists with 274, averaging 7.93 assists per set.
Cobleskill: The SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers are 3-10 on the season so far. On the road, the Tigers are 0-2. Leading the Cobleskill offense is Emma Hinze who has recorded 109 kills so far this season. At the service line, the Tigers have recorded 87 aces so far this season with Kathleen Smart leading the team with 22. On defense, Smart has recorded 117 digs, averaging 2.66 digs per set. At the net, Ciarra Jaeger has recorded 22 blocks on the season so far, with 11 of those being solo blocks, and the other 11 have been assists. All time, the Pioneers are 14-3 against Cobleskill. Utica is currently on a three game winning streak against the Tigers, with the matchup last season going in Utica's favor by a score of 3-1.
Up Next: Utica opens Empire 8 Conference play against crosstown rival and Empire 8 Conference newcomer SUNY Poly. Game time from the Clark Athletic Center is set for 7pm.
