ONEONTA, NY - The Pioneers hit the court once again on Saturday to complete their Oneonta Invitational slate, meeting up with Penn College in the first contest before facing Vassar in the later game. 

To open the day, Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) continued her dominance, as the junior had complete control of the Wildcat defense en route to an outrageous 15 kills and five service aces. Bailey was not only potent, but also extremely precise, producing an unbelievable .652 hitting percentage. Her performance reflected the entire Pioneer team in Saturday's initial contest, as the team hit for an outstanding .305 hitting percentage, also landing 15 total service aces.

Kendall Turner (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne) had a stellar Saturday debut, showing her versatility as she slammed down seven kills and secured eight digs to pace the Pioneers. Turner, along with Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham), were the glue against Penn College, with Jones also adding five kills, eight digs, three block assists, two service aces, and 12 assists as the primary setter. Alicia Ancewicz (Greenlawn, NY/John Glenn) also played the role of setter very successfully, procuring 10 assists without recording a single set error. 

After demolishing the Wildcats, the Pioneers turned their attention to Liberty League rep Vassar. 

The Brewers brought their A-game during the later contest, testing the Pioneers during each set. Utica had much more control over the net during their matchup with Vassar, repeatedly tipping attacks and also managing to notch three solo blocks and 10 block assists as a team. Even with the effectiveness of their close-quarters combat, the Pioneers didn't keep up the same consistency that they had in their matchup with Penn College. Vassar hopped on a few Pioneer errors, taking advantage of the miscues to eek out the final two sets in what was an extremely scrappy and competitive game. 

At the forefront of the Pioneers' net presence was Jada Anthony (West Nyack, NY/Clarkstown South), who grabbed two solo blocks and three block assists. Her spectacular play at midcourt often energized the Pioneers, sparking many different runs. Jones also kept up her great form, securing 10 digs while also helping the offense with five kills and three service aces, with all three coming in a row during the crucial third set. Ancewicz also aided the defense, managing to get seven kills. 

The Pioneers' best defender in game two, though, was their defensive specialist, Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community). Wright was flying all around the court, stopping many outstanding Vassar attacks. Her various bids saw her grab a team-high 16 digs, and kept the Pioneers competitive in the matchup. 

Despite the Pioneers stepping up to the challenge, the slow start caused them to fall behind, and a few close points went Vassar's way as they wrapped up a 3-0 decision over the orange and blue. 

The Pioneers ended the weekend at 2-2, with wins over Baruch and Penn College, and defeats to Oneonta and Vassar. The Pioneers looked competitive in all four games, though, taking the Red Dragons to five sets and having some close calls against the Brewers as well. They'll be back in action next Friday when they welcome SUNY Canton to Miga Court during their home opener. 

Below is a brief synopsis of each game from today's slate:

Game One: Utica vs Penn College Highlights

The Pioneers returned to the court in the same form that they showed against Baruch on Friday, moving in unison and launching some well-timed attacks to take the upper hand early on in game one of Saturday. 

The Pioneers got out 6-1 to begin the first set, with a plethora of Pioneers finding the floor for the team's first barrage. From there, the trio of Turner, Bailey, and Jada Anthony (West Nyack, NY/Clarkstown South) poured on the points, holding serve with the Wildcats and getting out to a 19-8 advantage. After a three-point rally from Penn College, the Pioneers produced their own 6-0 run to take the first set. Wright landed three service aces during that final spurt to secure the first frame.

The Pioneers shot right out of the gate in set two, stringing together five straight scores to continue their run from last game. The Wildcats found their footing, attempting to battle back into the affair, but some errors cost them crucial points as Utica maintained its cushion during the middle part of the set. The Pioneers took over the second set during an 8-0 run that was powered by Bailey's powerful serves as she tallied three aces and a kill during the streak. Now up 20-8 in the set, the Pioneers captured a few more points, with Wright once again taking the second frame off of a service ace.

Utica faced some resistance in the third frame, as the Wildcats mounted a last-ditch effort to drag the matchup into additional sets. Despite Penn College jumping out to a 7-4 lead, the Pioneers regathered, and Bailey began to torment the opposition on the left side. Bailey landed three kills in a six-rally span to put the Pioneers ahead 9-8, and Turner found two kills to halt the ensuing Wildcat run. As the set came to a close, Bailey alternated between hammers down the line and clinical crossing shots to produce three consecutive Pioneer scores. Now up 18-17, the Pioneers would make one final push, mounting a late 5-0 run and grabbing seven of the final nine points to claim the victory. 

The Pioneers improved to 2-1 with the victory, and then had a brief reprieve before battling the Brewers. 

Game Two: Utica vs Vassar Highlights

The Pioneers took a little bit to get clicking in the second game of the day, going down 19-7 early on in the first set against Vassar. A 5-1 run late in the opening frame saw them get some of the synergy back, but they would eventually fall by a 25-15 margin to open the matchup. 

Set number two saw the Pioneers begin to find their footing, though, with Anthony beginning to cause chaos at the net. She began the set by finding the first point, a good sign for the team's hopes of leveling the match. After that, a 4-0 run courtesy of Charley Herrington (Colonie, NY/Colonie Central) and Turner, along with some attacking errors by Vassar, saw the team keep pace with the powerful Liberty League side. After some back and forth, Anthony found her first solo block of the afternoon to make it 11-all, adding energy to what was already an exciting second set. She then found her second solo block only a few points later, sparking a 3-0 run that ended with the Pioneers ahead 15-13. Two service aces from Bailey brought the set to its climax with both teams knotted at 18, before the Brewers would grab seven of the final 10 points to cement a 2-0 advantage. 

In the final set, the Pioneers would once again fall behind early, with an early 5-0 run from Vassar causing the Brewers to move towards victory. The Pioneers managed to hang around, though, with some spectacular stops by Wright proving to be the catalyst for a comeback in the latter stages of the set. After another Bailey spike, Jones would confuse the Brewer defense on three consecutive occasions, bringing the set level at 17-all. A few points later, a 3-0 Pioneer run put them ahead 21-20; however, Vassar would lock in and down the Pioneers after a few late errors on the next few rallies. 

Despite the result, the Pioneers were solid in the second game, playing well and making some outstanding plays in their final action of the weekend.