NORTH ADAMS, MA - The Utica University volleyball team picked up a hard-fought road win on Wednesday night, defeating MCLA by a score of 3-1.

Leading the way for the Pioneers was Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) who tallied 14 kills, matched by Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) with 14, while Kendall Turner (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne) added 12. Lending a helping hand with Utica's offensive attack was Jones, who dished out 20 assists, along with Alicia Ancewicz (Greenlawn, NY/John Glenn) who recorded 23. At the service line, Turner led the Pioneers with four aces, while Ancewicz, Mackenzie O'Brien (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) , and Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) each chipped in two. Defensively, Wright anchored the back row with a team-high 23 digs, while O'Brien controlled the netfront with one solo block and two block assists.

The opening set was a back-and-forth battle that featured three ties and a pair of lead changes. Utica jumped out to an early 5-2 advantage behind kills from Turner, Jones, and Arianna Williams (North Chili, NY/Churchvile-Chili), as well as an ace from Turner. MCLA rallied late to knot the score at 19 before a Jones kill and a Turner ace helped Utica hold on for the 25-23 win.

The second frame saw the Pioneers start strong, stringing together a four-point run with kills from Bailey and Jones alongside back-to-back service aces from Turner to build an 8-3 lead. MCLA would not go away quietly, however, capitalizing on Pioneer errors and key kills to surge ahead late. Despite a push from Utica, MCLA closed the set 25-23 to even the match at a set a piece. 

In the third set, Utica had to claw its way from behind after falling into a 11-6 hole early. Kills from Jones and Emylie Stanton (Latham, NY/Shaker) sparked a rally to give the Pioneers the lead at 14-12, before extending the lead to 21-16. With the set tied at 24-24, Turner came through with a kill before Mackenzie O'Brien (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) delivered a service ace to secure the 26-24 victory.

The final frame featured three ties and another tight finish. MCLA built a 14-10 advantage midway through, but Utica stormed back with a five-point run fueled by kills from Bailey and Jones, along with an ace from Wright, to grab control at 20-16. The Trailblazers cut the deficit late, but Williams closed the door with back-to-back kills to put the final point away for a 25-22 win to seal the match.

Utica (5-3, 0-0 Empire 8) returns to action on Saturday, September 13 as the team travels to Poughkeepsie, NY to take on the Vassar Quad, hosted by Vassar College. Game one against SUNY Delhi is slated for 11am, while game two against the host is set for 3pm.