UTICA, NY - The Utica University volleyball team is set to host its final non-conference opponent of the season and continue conference play this week. On Tuesday, October 21, the team will host SUNY Delhi in the team's final non-conference contest beginning at 7pm on Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center. The team will then travel west for a pair of weekend matchups against St. John Fisher and Nazareth University. Friday's matchup against St. John Fisher is set for 7pm, while Saturday's matchup against Nazareth is set for 4pm. 
 
Follow Along: Live video for Tuesday's matchup can be found here, and live stats here. For those unable to attend, live video for Friday's matchup can be found here, and live stats here. Live video for Saturday's matchup can be found here, and live stats here. 
 
Last Time Out: The team took down the SUNY Geneseo Knights in reverse sweeping fashion on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Knights by a score of 3-2. Leading the way for the Pioneers was Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) who brought down a team high 16 kills while hitting .212. Kendall Turner (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne) managed 12 kills on the afternoon, while Arianna Williams (North Chili, NY/Churchvile-Chili) registered seven. Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) lent a helping hand with a season high 31 assists. At the service line, Jones, Turner, and Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) each tallied a pair of service aces. At the netfront, Jada Anthony (West Nyack, NY/Clarkstown South) and Charley Herrington (Colonie, NY/Colonie Central) led the Pioneers with Anthony registering a solo block and an assist, while Herrington registered a pair of assists. On defense, Turner paced the back row with a team high 22 digs, while Wright managed 21 and Jones followed not far behind with 16.
 
Freshman Standout: Kendall Turner (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne) put together a fantastic week for the Pioneers last week. The freshman averaged 2.38 kills per set and 3.50 digs per set over Utica's two game week. In the team's reverse sweep of Geneseo, Turner brought down 12 kills while hitting .136 with a pair of service aces, and 22 digs. On the season, Turner has managed over 120 kills, averaging just under a kill and a half per set. Turner has also been dominant at the service line this season, registering a total of 29 service aces. On the defensive side of the ball, Turner has managed just over 2.25 digs per set this season and is closing in on the 200 dig mark in her freshman campaign. 
 
Still in Business: Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) was the driving force of the Pioneer offense in the team's reverse sweep over Geneseo. Bailey brought down a team high 16 kills while managing to hit .212 in the contest. Over the Pioneers' two games, Bailey averaged 2.63 kills per set. On the season, Bailey has been steady in her offensive production, closing in on the 300 kills mark this season with a total of 264. Bailey has consistently averaged around three kills per set this season, with a team leading hitting percentage of .173. 
 
Scouting Delhi: The SUNY Delhi Broncos have posted a 4-20 record this season and are 3-2 in NAC play. Kayla Nuss has paced the Broncos' attack this season with a total of 220 kills, averaging just under three kills per set at 2.89. Nuss has also posted a team leading .181 hitting percentage on the season. Noelle Placanica has also been integral to the Broncos attack, registering over 100 kills this season. At the service line, Audrey Logsdon has posted a team high 38 service aces. On the defensive side, Logsdon leads the Broncos with 261 digs, averaging just under three and a half digs per set. At the netfront, Placanica leads the Broncos with 28 total blocks with five solo and 23 assists. All time against the Broncos, the Pioneers sport an 8-6 record and are on the five match win streak. This is not the first time that the Pioneers will have squared off against the Broncos this season, with an earlier matchup this season falling in favor of Utica, taking down Delhi in sweeping fashion, 3-0. 
 
A Look at Fisher: The St. John Fisher Cardinals have posted a 21-1 record this season, and are currently undefeated in Empire 8 play at 6-0. Leading the Cardinal attack has been Kaylene Noble with a total of 271 kills this season, averaging four kills per set this season. Kalyna Dannenberg has been not far behind Noble this season, tallying 232 kills, averaging 3.36 kills per set. At the service line, Lydia Fraser has been dominant, registering 52 service aces this season. On the defensive side of the ball, Kiera Hartpence has paced the Fisher back row with a total of 246 digs this season, averaging just under three and a half digs per set this season. At the netfront, Ana Gutman leads the Cardinals with a total of 60 blocks this season. 
 
Breaking Down Nazareth: The Nazareth Golden Flyers are 1-20 on the season, and are 1-5 in Empire 8 play this season. Leah Fusilli has paced the Golden Flyer attack this season with 164 kills, averaging just over two and a half kills per set. Alana Lucey has been the team's best hitter throughout this season, hitting .104 with 76 kills through 57 sets played. At the service line, Fusilli has managed a team high 26 service aces. On the defensive side, Jenna Mattison and Fusilli have anchored the back row for the Golden Flyers, with Mattison registering 176 digs and Fusilli with 160. Zipporah Sparkman has led the Nazareth netfront presence, with 33 blocks this season with 10 solo and 23 assists. The Pioneers will look for this first win over Nazareth this weekend since the 2022 season where the Pioneers took the matchup by a score of 3-2 on the road. 
 
Up Next: The Pioneers return home for the team's final two matches of the season. On Friday, October 31 the team will take on the Keuka College Wolves beginning at 7pm from Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center.