James McClendon, Editor-In-Chief

The Utica College Women’s Volleyball team started off its season with a dominant win over SUNY Delphi, winning all three sets of the game.

Head Coach, Aris Bird talked about the importance of starting the season off with a win.

“The match Thursday night was extremely important for our team to work out the kinks new teams have,” Bird said.

The Pioneers next challenge was a four game weekend in Cortland. They had matchups against Fredonia, Wells College, Misericordia University and Buffalo State.

The Pioneers did not come away from the weekend with a victory, but what they gained in game experience and team bonding cannot be measured.

Sophomore, Hannah Voss talked about how well the team is meshing together so early in the season.

“We seemed to all get along from the start and have gotten really close ever since.” Voss said, “Preseason was a good time to get to know everyone and the freshman are all really sweet.”

The Pioneers head to Rochester this weekend and will compete in four games. They will play Beloit College, The College at Brockport, The University of Rochester and SUNY Geneseo.

Freshman, Megan Weiss talked about what it is going to take to be successful this weekend.

“We’re really focusing on the mental game at this point for our upcoming games,” Weiss said, “Positive reinforcement really works for us.”

The Pioneers hope that their team chemistry and slight adjustments will turn their hard work into success and a birth into the Empire 8 tournament.