DELHI, NY - The Utica University volleyball team split its Saturday doubleheader at Floyd L. Maines Arena, falling to Marywood, 3-0, before bouncing back with a dominant 3-0 sweep of SUNY Delhi to close out the day.
In the first match of the afternoon, senior libero
Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) collected her 1,516th career dig, shattering the program's career digs record with 13 matches remaining in the season. The previous mark of 1,490 was set back in 2009 by Melissa Austin.
Marywood, 3 Utica, 0
Trinity Bailey (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) led the Pioneers offensively with nine kills, while
Layla Rice (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) added six kills and two service aces. Bailey also recorded three aces and 10 digs.
Megan Wright (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community) posted a match-high 30 digs, en route to breaking the Pioneer career digs record, while
Alicia Ancewicz (Greenlawn, NY/John Glenn) and
Addison Jones (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) each recorded 10 assists.
Mackenzie O'Brien (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) added a pair of blocks, while
Elizabeth Hanba (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and
Arianna Williams (North Chili, NY/Churchville-Chili) each added one as well.
The Pioneers came out strong in the opening set, with Bailey and Rice recording early kills to help Utica keep pace with Marywood. The Pioneers trailed 7-3 before a pair of Bailey kills and a kill from
Charley Herrington (Colonie, NY/Colonie Central) helped cut the deficit to 7-5. Utica continued to battle, with kills from Bailey, Herrington and Rice and Hanba helping the Pioneers stay within striking distance. Marywood, however, used a late run to take the opening set, 25-13.
Utica came out firing in the second set, jumping out to a 4-2 lead behind kills and a pair of service aces from Rice. Marywood answered with a run of its own, eventually taking a 13-7 lead. The Pioneers continued to chip away at the deficit, with kills from Rice, Williams, Herrington and Bailey helping Utica close the gap. After trailing 21-16, Utica mounted a late comeback as Bailey recorded a kill and three straight service points, including two aces, to bring the Pioneers within one at 24-23. Marywood held on for the 25-23 set victory.
The third set featured a back-and-forth battle from the start. Utica opened with a 3-2 lead and later held a 6-3 advantage after consecutive Marywood errors. The Pacers responded and eventually took a 10-8 lead, but the Pioneers continued to fight. Utica tied the set at 12-12 and later took a 17-13 lead following a five-point run that included three Marywood attack errors and a Bailey kill. The teams traded points down the stretch, with Utica tying the set at 22-22 and 23-23, but Marywood scored the final two points to take the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-0.
Utica, 3 SUNY Delhi, 0
Bailey led the Pioneers with a match-high 17 kills while hitting an impressive .739, adding four digs, one ace and one block. Rice finished with five kills, four aces and a .556 hitting percentage, while Herrington added six kills on .313 hitting. Wright posted a team-high 18 digs, while Ancewicz recorded 18 assists and eight digs. As a team, Utica hit .364 for the match, including a .611 hitting percentage in the second set and .375 in the third. The Pioneers also recorded eight service aces and five total blocks in the sweep.
Utica came out strong in the opening set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead behind kills from Rice and Herrington. The Pioneers continued to apply pressure, with a Rice service ace and kills from Bailey and Williams helping Utica build an 11-2 advantage. Delhi trimmed the deficit to 12-7, but the Pioneers answered with kills from Bailey and Rice before a Herrington kill and a pair of Utica points pushed the lead to 21-11. Bailey added two more kills late in the set as Utica closed out the opening frame, 25-16.
The Pioneers carried that momentum into the second set, opening on a 4-1 run before extending the lead to 9-2 behind two more Rice service aces and kills from Williams, Bailey and Herrington. Utica continued to pull away, scoring seven of the next eight points to take a 17-4 advantage. The Pioneers' defense also came up big during the run, with blocks from
Mackenzie O'Brien (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) and Herrington, followed by a block from Williams. Utica eventually pushed its lead to 23-7 before
Charley Herrington (Colonie, NY/Colonie Central) recorded a kill to put the Pioneers at set point. An attack error from Delhi, closed out the set, giving Utica the 25-9 victory.
Utica stayed in control in the third set, scoring the first two points before taking a 7-1 lead following three straight Bailey kills and a Delhi attack error. Delhi cut the deficit to 9-5, but the Pioneers responded with another run to make it 14-7. Utica continued to maintain a comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the set, with kills from
Kamari Davis (Utica, NY/Proctor),
Emylie Stanton (Latham, NY/Shaker) and Bailey helping the Pioneers reach 20-11. Bailey continued to lead the charge late, recording kills for points 20, 21 and 22 before a Stanton kill and a pair of Delhi attack errors closed out the sweep, 25-13.
The Pioneers move to 4-11 on the season (0-0 Empire 8) and return to action on Friday, October 2nd as the team opens conference play on the road against Elmira College. Start time is set for 7pm from Elmira, NY.
