UTICA, NY - The Utica University volleyball team is set for a jam packed final week of non-conference play with five matches. The team will host the Union College Garnet Chargers in the team's annual First Responders Match on Wednesday, September 17 beginning at 7pm on Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center. The team will then travel to take on the Oswego Invitational, hosted by Oswego State. On Friday, September 19 the team will take on SUNY Canton at 2pm, and Pitt Bradford at 4pm. On Saturday, September 20 the team will take on Western Connecticut State at 12pm, and the host Oswego State at 4pm. 
 
Follow Along: Live video for Wednesday's matchup can be found here, and live stats here. All information regarding the Oswego Invitational can be found here. 
 
First Responders Day: This year will be the fourth annual Utica University Women's Volleyball First Responders Match. The game is in honor of first responders not only in the Mohawk Valley, but across the country who risk their lives every day to keep the community safe. The team will honor First Responders before the game with a brief ceremony. 
 
Last Time Out: The team split the Vassar Quad Saturday afternoon, hosted by Vassar College. The Pioneers took game one in sweeping fashion, defeating the SUNY Delhi Broncos by a score of 3-0, before falling to the host Vassar by a score of 3-0. Leading the way for the Pioneers in game one was Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) who recorded 12 kills, while Kendall Turner (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne) recorded six, followed by Lauren Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) with four. At the service line Jones led the Pioneers with three service aces, while Mackenzie O'Brien (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) and Alicia Ancewicz (Greenlawn, NY/John Glenn) each nabbed a pair. Lending a helping hand with the Pioneer offense was Ancewicz who dished out a team with 12 assists, while Jones recorded nine. On defense, Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) anchored the back row with 13 digs, followed by Jones with eight and Turner with six. At the netfront, Arianna Williams (North Chili, NY/Churchvile-Chili) led the Pioneers by tallying two block assists. Leading the way for the Pioneers in game two was once again Bailey with seven kills, followed by Jones with three and Ancewicz with two. At the service line, O'Brien continued her dominance with a team high two service aces. On defense, Wright managed 10 digs, while Jones nabbed seven. At the netfront, O'Brien shined once again with two block assists. 
 
Freshman Standout: Freshman Kendall Turner (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne) has continued to make her presence known on both sides of the ball for the Pioneers. Offensively, Turner managed 20 kills over three games, averaging two kills per set. At the service line, Turner recorded a team high seven service aces over 10 sets played. On the defensive side, Turner recorded 22 digs, averaging 2.20 digs per set, as well as a block assist at the netfront. On the season, Turner is closing in on the 100 kill mark, and is averaging just under two kills per set. 
 
Killing It: Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) has been a force to be reckoned with on offense for the Pioneers, the junior outside hitter has been dominant at the netfront for Utica, leading the team with 134 kills on the season with a .248 hitting percentage. Bailey remains in the running for the top hitter in the conference, taking fifth on the leaderboard in hitting percentage, and second in kills while averaging 3.72 kills per set. 
 
Defensive Powerhouse: Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) continues to impress on the defensive side of the ball and will become the first player in the conference to eclipse the 200 dig mark on the season. Averaging 5.53 digs per set, Wright leads the conference in both total digs and average per set, with the second best defender over 40 digs behind Wright. 
 
Scouting Union: The Union College Garnet Chargers have posted a 7-3 record this season and have not begun Liberty League play. As a team, Union has managed a team .227 hitting percentage this season and has allowed a .141 hitting percentage to opponents. Shannon McGrath is the team's best hitter, registering 155 kills this season and is averaging over 4.5 kills per set. Shea Ringel has been a top hitter for the Garnet Chargers as well, averaging three kills per set through ten matches. At the service line, Shelby McKim and Georgia Pool each have been key for Union, registering 16 service aces a piece. On the defensive end, Pool has been the team's best defender, recording 4.58 digs per set this season with a .940 reception percentage. McKim is the biggest netfront presence for Union, registering a total of 24 blocks this season with five solo and 19 assists. 
 
Checking in with Canton: The SUNY Canton Kangaroos have posted a 3-7 record this season. As a team, the Kangaroos have registered 315 kills with 198 attacking errors. On defense, Canton has averaged 16.4 digs per set with 78 reception errors. Emerson Coulter has been a leader on the offense for the Kangaroos with 79 kills, and is averaging the most points per set on the team with 3.22. On the defensive side of the ball, Isabella Cruz leads the team in digs with 126, averaging 3.82 digs per set. Abby Raven has been a mainstay on the Canton netfront registering six solo blocks with 13 block assists this season. Earlier this season, the Pioneers squared off against the Kangaroos, where the Pioneers took the match in sweeping fashion by a score of 3-0. 
 
A Look at Pitt Bradford: The Pitt Bradford Panthers have posted a 7-1 record this season. As a team, the Panthers are averaging 10.41 kills per set, with a combined team hitting percentage of .133. Alycia Wilson has been dominant as a hitter for the Panthers, registering 71 kills this season and averaging 2.37 kills per set. At the service line, Danielle Sasuga has been a key piece for the Panthers, registering 22 service aces this season. Marissa Bowman has also been dominant from the service line with 18 aces on the season. On defense, Sasuga has been averaging 4.78 digs per set with a total of 153 digs this season. Jenna Louser has been a mainstay on the Panther netfront with 22 total blocks this season with 12 solo blocks and 10 assists. This marks the first time since 2017 that the Pioneers will square off against the Panthers, with the last matchup ending in favor of Pitt Bradford, 3-0. 
 
Scouting WestConn: The Western Connecticut State Wolves have posted a 5-2 record on the season so far. Julia Stoliker has been a mainstay on offense for the Wolves, tallying 92 kills and averaging 3.54 kills per set this season. Hallie Robillard has also been a key piece of the Wolves offense, registering 57 kills. At the service line, Stoliker has been dominant as well, registering 16 service aces, while Jersey Jones has recorded 12. Jones has also been a key piece of the Wolves defense, registering 4.31 digs per set with a total of 112 digs this season. Ella Hubert has been dominant at the netfront for the Wolves, registering 18 total blocks this season with eight solo and 10 assists. This marks the first time since 2015 that the Pioneers will face off against the Wolves, with the last matchup falling in favor of WestConn, 3-0. 
 
Breaking Down Oswego: The invitational host, Oswego State Lakers have posted a 7-2 record on the season. Priscilla McReynolds and Kalley Vugetveen have been extremely close on offense for the Lakers, registering 90 and 89 kills respectively. At the service line, Grace Gdovin and McReynolds have been key pieces for the Lakers, registering 18 and 16 service aces a piece. On the defensive side, CJ Eidem has been the most dominant defender, registering 114 digs this season, averaging 3.68 digs per set. At the netfront, Alaina Dudzinski has been a mainstay for Oswego, registering 25 total blocks this season with seven solo and 18 assists. Last season, despite being a competitive matchup in set scoring, the Pioneers fell to the Lakers by a score of 3-0. 
 
Up Next: The Pioneers begin conference play by making the short trip for a crosstown clash with the SUNY Poly Wildcats. Game time from Utica, NY on Wednesday, October 1 is set for 7pm.