Women's Volleyball | 10/9/2021 5:54:00 PM
UTICA, NY - The Utica College volleyball team bounced back from its straight set sweep loss on Friday night with a 3-2 comeback win over the Alfred University Saxons on Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers jumped out of the gates hot with a 25-16 win in the first set. However, the Saxons responded with a 25-13 win in the second set and a close 25-23 win in the third set.
With backs to the wall down 16-11 in the fourth set, the resilience shown so many times the season by the Pioneers came out again as they came back to even the set at 17. Later down 21-19, Utica went on a 5-0 which included kills by Julyanna Sauschuck, Kurstan Martin and Caitlyn Espositio. After a Hannah Johnson service error, Martin ensured a win in the fourth set with a kill to even the match at 2-2.
In the fifth set, Alfred started ahead on a 5-1 run but again, UC didn't shy away. With the score 7-7 in favor of the Saxons, Eleanor Cepiel recorded three straight kills to push Utica ahead, 9-7. Now 11-10 Pioneers, a Cepiel Kill and two by Sauschuck put the Pioneers at match point. The Saxons made it interesting with two points following the Sauschuck kills; however, Cepiel called game with a kill as Utica took the fifth set, 15-12.
Cepiel finished with a team-high 16 kills while Martin was second on the team with 15. Madison Maggiore impressed with a career-high 36 assists. Krystell Pappas once again led the team with 24 digs while Cepiel ended with 18 and Maggiore with 14. Lainey Hayden also took credit for three of the four blocks by the Pioneers.
UC (6-12, 2-3 Empire 8) travels to Oneonta on Wednesday, October 13 for a 7 p.m. game against Hartwick College.