UTICA, NY - The Utica University volleyball team is set to begin the quest for the 2025 Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Championship. The seventh seeded Pioneers will travel to take on the second seeded Hartwick College Hawks on Saturday, November 8. Game time from Oneonta, NY is set for 1pm.
Ticketing Information: For those who wish to attend, admission will be $10 for adults, $2 for students with ID and seniors, and children under 12 are free. Tickets are to be paid in cash only.
Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live video for Saturday's matchup can be found
here, and live stats
here.
How We Got Here: The Pioneers secured the seventh seed in the conference tournament after the Pioneers' weekend sweep. On the season, the Pioneers have managed to contend with the conference competition. Utica has averaged just under 10 kills per set this season, slamming home a total of 1,044 kills this season for the sixth best mark in the conference. Utica has also allowed the fourth lowest hitting percentage in the conference to opponents at .138. Defensively, the Pioneers have been at the top of the conference all season, averaging 17.28 digs per set as a team, with a total of 1814 digs this season.
A Look at the Field: Seeding for the tournament, as well as the schedule is as follows:
Seeding:
No. 1 – St. John Fisher University
No. 2 – Hartwick College
No. 3 – SUNY Brockport
No. 4 – SUNY Geneseo
No. 5 – Houghton University
No. 6 – Russell Sage College
No. 7 – Utica University
No. 8 – Alfred University
Schedule:
Saturday, November 8 – First Round
No. 8 Alfred at No. 1 St. John Fisher – 1 p.m.
No. 7 Utica at No. 2 Hartwick – 1 p.m.
No. 6 Russell Sage at No. 3 SUNY Brockport – 1 p.m.
No. 5 Houghton at No. 4 SUNY Geneseo – 1 p.m.
Wednesday, November 12 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
Winner of St. John Fisher/Alfred vs. Winner of SUNY Geneseo/Houghton – 6 p.m.
Winner of Hartwick/Utica vs. Winner of Brockport/Russell Sage – 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 15 - Championship Final
Winner of Semifinal Game 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal Game 2 at Highest Remaining Seed – 1 p.m.
Breaking Down Hartwick: The Hartwick College Hawks have completed the regular season with an overall record of 19-10 and a 10-1 record in Empire 8 play. As a team this season, the Hawks have managed to combine for a .188 hitting percentage, with a total of 1114 kills. The Hawks have allowed more kills to opponents this season, with a total of 1137 allowed and a .171 hitting percentage allowed to opponents. Defensively, the Hawks have managed 13.1 digs per set, with 13.2 digs per set allowed to opponents. Hartwick has also allowed more solo blocks to opponents with 43 allowed. Three different Hawks have led the team's offensive efforts in Shelby Swartz, Isabella Gracias, and Lucille Walker. Swartz leads the team in kills with 294, while Gracias and Walker have totaled 245 and 241 kills, respectively. At the service line, Mary Kinnane leads the Hawks with a total of 63 service aces. On defense, Malia Dake leads the Hawks with a total of 285 digs on the season, averaging 2.82 digs per set. Swartz is not far behind Dake with a total of 245 digs this season. At the netfront, Gracias leads Hartwick with 66 total blocks this season, while Walker is just behind with 63. The Pioneers and Hawks squared off previously this season, with the Pioneers falling in a competitive matchup 3-0. Utica would be looking for its first win over the Hawks since 2009.
Up Next: With a win, the Pioneers would advance to the semifinal round of the tournament, taking on the winner of SUNY Brockport and Russell Sage on November 8th at the higher seed. Game time is set for 6pm.
