UTICA,NY (October 16, 2021) -- The King's College women's volleyball team recorded a tri-match sweep on Saturday afternoon, defeating SUNY Poly, 3-0, before recording a come-from-behind win in five, 3-2, over the host Utica College. With the win over SUNY Poly, head coach Bernie Kachinko recorded the 550th win of his career at the head of the Monarchs women's volleyball program.

vs. SUNY Poly - W, 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-18):
King's (17-2) trailed early, 7-5, to SUNY Poly (6-12) before going on a 10-2 run to lead, 15-9. The Wildcats pulled within three, 17-14, but the Monarchs responded with an 8-4 rally to end the set, winning the opening set 25-19.

The Monarchs continued the momentum into the second set, dominating early to lead 16-6. They did not allow SUNY Poly to recover as they cruised to a 25-15 set two win, leading the match 2-0.

The Wildcats responded in the final set, leading 13-8, but King's had an answer as they took a 15-14 lead off a 7-1 rally. Two consecutive points would put SUNY Poly ahead, 16-15, but the Monarchs closed the set on a 7-1 run that saw four different Monarchs record points to win the final set, 25-18, and the match, 3-0.

Senior Sarah Hayward posted a career-high 12 kills on 19 attempts, hitting .579, with two blocks to lead the Monarchs in their opener. Senior Olivia Bunch also played well offensively, adding nine kills, six digs, and two aces. Senior Wiatt Hoffmann dished out 32 assists with 12 digs for a double-double, while fellow-senior Karissa Hartzell posted a game-high tying 12 digs.

The Wildcats were led by Emma Draper with seven kills and 10 digs, and Kaley Pichura handed out 16 assists.

As a team, the Monarchs hit .233 for the match while holding the Wildcats to .109. King's led inside the box score in kills (40-25), aces (8-7), assists (38-22), and digs (45-36).

vs. Utica - W, 3-2 (17-25, 18-25, 25-16, 25-16, 18-16):
The host Utica (7-13) led early in the opening set, 14-6, and the Monarchs could not pull within five down the stretch as they dropped set one, 25-17.

King's trailed early again, 9-2, before rallying to take a 10-9 lead as both sophomore Emily Scott and senior Christie Brown totaled two kills in the stretch. After a back-and-forth effort, the Pioneers closed the set on a 9-3 run to take a the second set, 25-18, and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Monarchs trailed, 10-8, in the third before rattling off eight unanswered points to lead 16-10. Utica pulled within four two times down the stretch, but King's closed the set as they scored the final six of seven points in the third set to win, 25-16, still trailing 2-1.

A 13-4 lead to start the fourth would be too much for the Pioneers to overcome as King's cruised to a similar 25-16 win in the fourth set, tying the match, 2-2, and forcing a fifth set.

The Monarchs seemed to command the fifth set, leading 14-5, but the Pioneers would have an answer as they recorded the next nine points to tie the set, 14-14. The teams traded points and remained tied at 16 before a Utica error and kill from Bunch put the set away, 18-16, and give King's the thrilling 3-2 win.

Bunch and senior Danielle Kitchner led the offensive attack with 13 kills a piece, with Bunch posting a double-double with 14 digs and four aces and Kitchner adding two blocks. Brown and Hayward also totaled double figures for kills with Brown adding 11 and Hayward contributing 10. Hoffmann recorded a season-high 50 assists with 13 digs. Senior Toni Galasso led the defense with a game-high 21 digs, and first year Carly Shire added eight.

The Pioneers were led by Eleanor Cepiel's 17 kills and 16 digs, Madison Maggiore totaled 26 assists, and Kyrstell Pappas added 16 digs.

The Monarchs recorded a .222 hitting percentage for the match while holding Utica to a .206 percentage. It was a close one on the stat sheet, but King's held the advantage in kills (60-59), assists (59-51), and digs (80-75).

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King's will finish this three-game road stretch on Wednesday, October 20 as they travel to Arcadia University in Glenside, PA for a MAC Freedom matchup, starting at 7:00 p.m.