UTICA, NY - The Utica University volleyball team is set to begin the 2025 campaign on the road in Oneonta, NY as the team travels to take on the Oneonta Invitational, hosted by SUNY Oneonta, beginning on Friday, August 29. The four-game weekend slate begins with the Pioneers taking on the Red Dragons at 3pm on Friday, followed by the Baruch Bearcats at 5pm. Saturday begins with a duel against the Penn College Wildcats at 10am, before completing the slate with the Vassar College Brewers at 2pm.
Follow Along: Live video and live stats are yet to be determined. More information can be found under the Volleyball schedule tab, and will be announced when available.
Back in Time: After making back to back Empire 8 Conference tournament appearances for the first time in program history, a young Pioneer squad took to the court looking to build off of the team's previous successes. The 2024 edition of the Pioneers finished the season with a 9-15 overall record, and faced a 3-8 record in Empire 8 play in the team's first season with SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, and SUNY Poly as conference opponents.
At the Helm: Head Coach
Josh Higby is set to return for his fifth season leading the Pioneers. Higby guided the Pioneers into clinching a playoff berth in 2023, marking the program's first back to back Empire 8 tournament appearance.
Madison Maggiore will assist Higby in her second season coaching the Pioneers after spending four seasons as a player under Higby. Maggiore garnered all-conference honors in her senior season as a setter, racking up 1600 assists with 586 digs, 166 service aces, and 141 kills over her career.
Schedule Breakdown: The 2025 season begins officially on August 29th and will culminate in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament which will take place beginning on November 8th. The tournament will follow an eight-team single elimination format, with the champion to be crowned on November 15th. The Pioneers regular season schedule includes five tournaments this season, including the Oneonta Invitational, hosted by SUNY Oneonta, the Bard Tri-Match, hosted by Bard College, the Vassar Quad, hosted by Vassar College, the Oswego Invitational, hosted by Oswego State, and the Hartwick Invitational, hosted by Hartwick College. The Pioneers will open the home slate on Friday, September 5th as the team takes on the SUNY Canton Kangaroos at 7pm inside the Clark Athletic Center. Empire 8 play is set to begin on October 1 for the Pioneers, as the team hosts cross-town rival SUNY Poly.
Last Rides: The duo of
Jada Anthony (West Nyack, NY/Clarkstown South) and
Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) have returned for their final campaigns in the orange and blue this season. Anthony, a senior, led the team in blocks last season with 43 total blocks, including a team-high 34 assisted blocks. Anthony also tallied 104 kills last season through her 24 matches played, accounting for 1.72 points per set last season. Over 171 total sets played, Anthony has accumulated 178 kills, and 93 total blocks. Jones, a graduate student, totalled 511 assists last season, falling just outside the top-10 in the single season assist category. Averaging 5.87 assists per set last season, Jones has cracked into the top-10 in the single season category, sliding into eighth place on the leaderboard. With 808 total assists over her three seasons, Jones has cracked into the top-10 on the career assist leaderboard, and is closing in rapidly on the 1,000 career assist mark, which would make her the seventh player in program history to eclipse that mark. Jones was also consistent from the service line last season, recording a team high 54 service aces, a mark that would put her in second on the Empire 8 leaderboard in the category.
Still Not Kansas: Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) has returned for the Pioneers this season, and is looking to build off of her dominant sophomore campaign last season. The defensive specialist led the conference in digs per set average last season, averaging 5.06 digs per set, totalling 445 digs across last season's campaign. Her marks were good enough to slide into sixth place on the team's single season record book in digs, and fourth place in single season digs per set average. Wright, a stout defender, posted a staggering .929 reception percentage last season, averaging only 0.55 reception errors per set. Across her two seasons in the orange and blue, Wright has totalled 643 digs, averaging 3.92 digs per set through her 164 sets played. Wright, who has also played as an outside hitter, has been rather dominant at the net as well, totalling a team-high 187 kills last season, averaging 2.13 kills per set. Wright has also been dominant from the service line, notching 31 service aces last season.
Oh Bailey!: Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) has returned for her junior season with the Pioneers this fall. Bailey, a 2025 Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Player to Watch, was second on the team last season in kills with a total of 151 through 86 sets played. Averaging 2.24 points per set, Bailey was a consistent factor in the Pioneer lineup last season. Bailey was also solid from the service line, recording 25 service aces last season. On the defensive side, Bailey managed to record 106 digs, with 30 total blocks. Last season was a breakout year for Bailey, who has totalled 162 kills and 39 service aces throughout her two seasons in Utica.
Supporting Cast: A pair of Pioneers have returned to make their sophomore campaigns for the Pioneers this season in
Elizabeth Hanba (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and
Alicia Ancewicz (Greenlawn, NY/John Glenn). Hanba, an outside hitter, found herself in the thick of the Pioneer offense last season, tallying 128 kills in her freshman campaign and averaging 2.29 kills per set, a mark good enough to crack into the top-20 hitters in the conference last season. Appearing in 56 sets last season, Hanba managed to record 11 service aces, as well as seven total blocks, and averaged over 2.5 points per set. Ancewicz, a setter, appeared in 17 matches last season, playing 56 total sets. Ancewicz recorded 175 assists, five service aces, and managed 65 digs.
New Faces: There are seven new faces taking the floor for the Pioneers this season.
Addison Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham), a setter, and the sister of graduate setter
Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham), was a 2022 Section III Champion at Mount Markham, a two-time All-CNY Small Schools athlete, a two-time CSC Division II MVP, and has three Center State All-Star selections during her high school career.
Erin Baldock (Center Moriches, NY/Center Moriches), a defensive specialist and libero, is a two-time Suffolk County Class B Champion, a 2023 Class B Long Island and Regional Champion, a 2023 Class B State Semifinalist, with a pair of All-League selections under her belt as well.
Allison Navarra (North Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), a defensive specialist and libero, was the 2023 Section III Dig Champion, the 2024 Section III Class AAA Dig Champion, and 2024 Section III Co-Libero of the Year, with several All-League, All-Section, and All-CNY selections as well. Head Coach Higby will also look to
Kendall Turner (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne),
Arianna Williams (North Chili, NY/Churchvile-Chili),
Emylie Stanton (Latham, NY/Shaker) and
Charley Herrington (Colonie, NY/Colonie Central) to make an impact this season.
Key Losses: The Pioneers return to the floor without libero and defensive specialist
Cassandra Wagemann (Diamond Point, NY/Lake George) and middle hitter
Peyton Migliaccio (Suffern, NY/Suffern) this season. Over Wagemann's two seasons as a Pioneer, she recorded 577 digs, averaging 3.55 digs per set, with 64 assists and 12 service aces. Migliaccio cracked into the top-10 on the career blocks record book with a total of 128 blocks over her four-year career as a Pioneer. Migliaccio, the 2024 recipient of the Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Sportswoman of the Year award, finished her career with 256 kills, 38 solo blocks, and an average of 1.37 points per set.
Scouting Oneonta: The SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons finished last season with a 9-18 overall record and finished the season 2-7 in a competitive SUNYAC conference. The Red Dragons have returned one of their top offensive producers this season on Kiera Welsh. Welsh finished third on the team last season in kills with a total of 127, averaging 1.65 kills per set. Sabrina Squicciarini has also returned for the Red Dragons this season, after logging 109 kills last season, and was responsible for over 1.5 points per set. On the defensive side of the ball, libero Anna Moller has returned this season after logging 403 total digs, averaging 5.04 digs per set. Middle blocker Shea Landversicht has returned this season after totalling 68 blocks with 32 solo blocks. Last season, the Pioneers squared off against the Red Dragons in the same season opening invitational, where the Pioneers fell in a highly competitive matchup by a score of 3-2.
Scouting Baruch: The Baruch College Bearcats completed last season with a 9-18 overall record and posted a 3-4 record in CUNYAC play. The Bearcats have returned their top offensive production in senior opposite hitter Dibjot Kaur, who registered 253.5 points last season, averaging 3.05 points per set. Kaur also led the Bearcat offense in kills with 221 and averaged 2.66 kills per set last season. The Bearcats have also returned their ace Karen Pozo Castro who managed 49 service aces last season, as well as a 530 assists as a setter. On the defensive side, Baruch has returned its libero Caroline Elfner who led the team in digs with 262, averaging 3.32 digs per set. This will mark the first time in program history that the Pioneers will square off against the Bearcats.
A Look at Penn College: The Penn College Wildcats finished last season with a 3-24 overall record and a 1-9 record in United East Conference play. The Wildcats have not returned any of their offensive production from last season, and will lean on the team's youth for some success this season. This will mark the first time in program history that the Pioneers will square off against the Wildcats.
Breaking Down the Brewers: The Vassar College Brewers finished last season with an 8-15 overall record and a 3-5 record in Liberty League play. The Brewers have returned their top point production in Holland Kaplan who locked in over 275 points last season, averaging 3.40 points per set. Kaplan finished second on the team in kills with 208 behind returning outside hitter Maura McAusland who finished the season with 219 kills averaging three kills per set. Kaplan also served as the team's ace last season, registering a total of 61 service aces. On defense, senior defensive specialist and libero Ellie Kogan has returned for the Brewers this season after leading the team in digs with 218 and a staggering .914 reception percentage last season. Last season, the Pioneers squared off against the Brewers in a competitive five set thriller, with the Pioneers being edged out by a score of 3-2.
Up Next: The Pioneers ready to open the 2025 home slate on Friday, September 5 as the team takes on the SUNY Canton Kangaroos. The match begins at 7pm from Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center.
