Hamilton College's Rylee Bergeron '26 led all players with 13 kills and five service aces in her collegiate debut, and the Continentals swept non-conference opponent Utica University in three sets at Utica's Clark Athletic Center on Tuesday evening.
 
Season Update
Hamilton was playing its season opener while the Pioneers, who are members of the Empire 8 Conference, dropped to 2-1 overall.
 
How It Happened

• In the first set, Utica took a 1-0 lead on a service error. The Continentals recorded the next six points and led the rest of the way, eventually prevailing 25-12.
• The Pioneers trailed just 7-5 early in the second set, but Hamilton went on a 9-1 run and grabbed a commanding 16-6 advantage. The Continentals eventually posted a 25-15 victory.
• Hamilton opened the third set with five straight points and was never threatened as the Continentals closed out the match with an easy 25-7 decision.

 
Notes

• Bergeron also tied for the team lead with six digs and easily led the squad with 18 points.
• Drew Stimson '25 added eight kills for Hamilton and owned a .467 percentage in 15 attack attempts.
• Summer McClintic '24 served a career-best three aces.
• Melissa Morelli '24 boasted 27 assists and six digs.
• The Continentals finished with a dozen aces while Utica didn't have any.
• Hamilton's team hitting percentage was .274. Meanwhile, the Pioneers had just nine kills with 21 errors in 75 total attempts (-.160).

 
Next Match
The Continentals take on the University of Rochester in the Brockport Invitational on Friday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. Rochester is 4-0 after it won all the matches at its own invitational last weekend.