ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick outscored visiting Utica 15-4 in the fifth and deciding game as the Hawks came away with a win in the opening match of their conference schedule Friday night at the Empire 8 Conference Crossover plated in Lambros Arena.

Sophomore Taylor Vonasek (Willington, CT/E.O. Smith) erupted for a career- and match-high 15 kills to pace the Hawks in the match. Sophomore Hannah Strom (Kenmore, WA/Inglemoor) added 13 kills and freshman Ashlynn Mohan (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) contributed nine.

Hartwick would grab one-game leads twice in the match but each time the visiting Pioneers would battle back to even the match. The Hawks took the first game by a final score of 25-21 before UC took the second, 25-17. 'Wick would edge out their opponents, 25-23, in the third game but Utica would return the favor in the fourth by the exact same score to force the deciding game.

After the two teams split the first two points of the final game, a Mohan kill would put the Hawks up for good. A 'Wick 5-0 run opened up a 6-1 lead.

The Pioneers scored two of the next three points and called timeout down 7-3. They would add another point on a kill following the break. That would be it for the UC scoring, however, as Hartwick would rattle of the final eight points for the victory.

Three consecutive kills from Christina Vitale (Port Jefferson Station, NY/St. John the Baptist), Quincy Kinzel (Scotia, NY/Guilderland), and Vonasek as well as an Alyssa Zeitler (Chardon, OH/Berkshire) service ace pushed the Hartwick lead to seven, 11-4.

Three straight UC errors pushed the Pioneers to the brink and a Strom kill put the game and the match away for the Hawks.

Strom would end the night with a double-double of 13 kills and 10 digs. She also had five service aces. Kinzel would close out the match with a career-best 40 assists and she added seven digs. Vitale registered a team-high 17 digs for 'Wick.

Utica (4-7) was led by Brandi Blaszak' 12 kills. Cassandra Manzer recorded 11. Briona Enny earned a match-high 18 digs for the Pioneers.

Hartwick (3-11) looks for E8 win number two tomorrow as the conference crossover continues. The Hawks host Nazareth at 10 a.m. followed by Ithaca at 3 p.m.