Akron Travels Down I-71 to Battle Xavier

Sunday, March 1

Cincinnati, Ohio

2:00 PM

University of Akron

Xavier

February 28 | Women's Lacrosse

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron lacrosse team visits Xavier for a 2 p.m. non-conference match on Sunday (March 1) in Cincinnati, Ohio.

ZIPS NAME TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2026:
The Akron senior duo of Katie Baumer (Rochester, N.Y.) and Sarah Baumer (Rochester, N.Y.) will serve as the Zips' captains for the 2026 campaign.

SCOUTING AKRON:
Junior Sienna Hinchcliffe (Rochester, N.Y.) leads the Zips in goals (22), points (27), shots (41), shots on goal (27), ground balls (12), while ranking second in caused turnovers (6). Katie Baumer is second on the team in goals (15). Junior Kaitlyn Sikorski (Plymouth, Minn.) paces the squad in assists (11) and is second in ground balls (11). Senior Heather Carey (Williamsville, N.Y.) ranks third on the squad in goals netting 10. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Adrianna Califano (Bellmore, N.Y.) has registered 30 saves, 10 ground balls and owns a 10.25 goals against average.

SCOUTING XAVIER:
Akron is meeting Xavier for the third time in program history. The Musketeers are 1-3 on the campaign following a 11-5 setback at Kent State on Tuesday (Feb.24). Redshirt junior Samantha Balara leads the squad in goals (5), shots (22) and shots on goal (19), while sophomore Maya Graham and freshman Genevieve Hathaway also own a team-best five goals. Senior goalkeeper Jada Brandon has collected 41 saves and three ground balls on the campaign en route to posting a 11.17 goals against average. Xavier is led by first-year head coach Brittney Morris, who owns an 1-3 ledger as a head coach for the Musketeers and is 64-56 in nine seasons overall as a head coach.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (FEB. 15, 2025 – AKRON, OHIO):
Sparked by five goals and three assists from Sienna Hinchcliffe, Akron earned a 15-6 triumph past Xavier on Feb. 15, 2025, at Stile Athletics Field House.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Katie Baumer added three goals and an assist, while Noelle Boyd, senior Kellen Fletcher (Valencia, Pa.) and Jaelyn Clinkscales tallied two goals apiece.
• Heather Carey added a goal and an assist for the Zips.
• Boyd and Hinchcliffe each recorded a game-high three assists, while adding two, two and one assist, respectively, was Carey, Fletcher and Baumer.
• Hinchcliffe recorded a game-high eight shots, including six on goal, while Boyd, Baumer, Carey, Clinkscales and Fletcher tallied seven, six, four, four and four shots, respectively.
• Boyd and sophomore Julia Mattingly (Leonardtown, Md.) netted a trio of caused turnovers apiece, while collecting a team-best five ground balls was goalkeeper Hannah Sanders.
• Boyd posted eight draw controls, while Sanders pulled in six saves for the Zips.

AKRON PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN MAC PRESEASON POLL:
The Mid-American Conference announced the 2026 Preseason Coaches' Poll on Wednesday (Feb. 4) as Akron was selected by the league's women's lacrosse coaches to finish second this season.

Conference newcomer Massachusetts (48 points, 6 first-place votes) was tabbed to capture the regular and postseason championships followed by Akron (37 points), Eastern Michigan (37), Robert Morris (34, 1 first-place vote), Central Michigan (28), Kent State (19), Youngstown State (12) and Detroit Mercy (9).

AKRON TRIUMPHS PAST RADFORD:
Sienna Hinchcliffe and Heather Carey combined to score 11 goals to propel the Zips to a 17-4 triumph past Radford on Wednesday (Feb. 25) at the Stile Athletics Field House.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Akron garnered a team- and career-high six goals from Hinchcliffe, while Carey netted a career-best five goals.
• Katie Baumer tallied three goals, while adding one goal apiece was Kellen Fletcher, freshman Savannah Hinchcliffe (Rochester, N.Y.) and Kaitlyn Sikorski.
• Adrianna Califano registered three saves for the Zips.
• Fletcher tallied a game- and career-high four assists for Akron, while Baumer, sophomore Kayli Grant (Oak Lawn, Ill.), Julia Mattingly and Sikorski collected, four, two, one and one assist, respectively.
• Baumer's four assists represents a career-high mark, while Grant earned the first two points of her collegiate career with a pair of assists.
• Califano, Sarah Baumer and junior Evelyn White (Dublin, Ohio), who made her first collegiate start, posted a game-high three ground balls each, while Mattingly pulled in a team- and career-best nine draw controls.
• Sarah Baumer collected a game-high three caused turnovers for Akron.
• Recording 11 shots, including six on goal was Hinchcliffe.

ZIPS CAPTURE MAC TOURNAMENT TITLE:
A golden goal from Jaelyn Clinkscales with 14 seconds remaining in overtime propelled the Akron lacrosse team to its first ever Mid-American Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth with a come-from-behind 11-10 victory over Robert Morris in the league's title match on May 3, 2025, in Moon Township, Pa.

Picked to finish last in the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Zips overcame a five-goal second-half deficit to force and overtime and set the stage for Clinkscales' game-winning goal in overtime.

AKRON EARNS FIRST EVER MAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE:
With its 14-12 come-from-behind victory over Robert Morris on April 27, 2025, the Zips earned a share of their first-ever Mid-American Conference regular season title.

FOUR ZIPS AND HEAD COACH ELAINE JONES GARNER ALL-MAC ACCOLADES:
Akron garnered a program-record four All-Mid-American Conference selections when the league unveiled its 2025 award winners in a vote of the league coaches.

Akron head coach Elaine Jones was recognized as the league's Coach of the Year as she led the Zips to their first ever MAC Regular Season title after the squad was picked to finish last in the preseason coaches' poll.

Noelle Boyd and Sienna Hinchcliffe headlined the Zips' award winners as the duo was selected as First-Team All-MAC honorees.

Pulling in Second-Team All-MAC laurels was Katie Baumer. Additionally, Julia Mattingly was tabbed to the MAC All-Freshman team.

AKRON NOTES:
• Sienna Hinchcliffe is atop the career list at Akron in goals, points, shots and shots on goal per game and woman-up goals, while rating second in assists per contest and third in total points, goals, assists, shots, shots on goal and draw controls per tilt.
• Katie Baumer is now tied atop Akron's career list in caused turnover (61) with Jenna Ridener (2020-23). Additionally, she is rated third at Akron caused turnovers, draw controls per contest and draw controls, fourth in caused turnovers per match and fifth in career assists and points.
• Sienna Hinchcliffe supplanted Alexis Kiefer as the single season record holder for goals in program history with a career-best six-goal effort against Robert Morris (April 27). She finished the campaign with 59 goals last season.
• Sienna Hinchcliffe set the single-season record for points (73), shots (142) and shots on goal (106), while Noelle Boyd owns the top single-season mark for assists (26) and Hannah Sanders for saves (144) and wins (11).
• Noelle Boyd surpassed Alexis Kiefer atop the career list for shots versus Robert Morris (April 27) having amassed 331 shots, while moving atop the list for shots on goal with 254 shots on goal against Eastern Michigan (April 20). Additionally, she started a program record 69 games.

IN THE LATEST MAC RANKINGS:
• Akron rates first in the Mid-American Conference in ground balls (19.20), second in goals (13.40), in assists (7.00), points per game (20.40) and in goals against average (10.25) and third in shots (20.20).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe is first in the conference in goals per game (4.40) and points per outing (5.40), second in shots (8.20) and eighth in ground balls (2.40).
• Katie Baumer is third in goals per game (3.00), fourth in points (4.20), sixth in draw controls (3.25) and in shots (5.60) and seventh in assists (1.20), while Kellen Fletcher is third in assists (1.80).
• Adrianna Califano is third in goals against average (10.25), fifth in save percentage (.385) and sixth in saves (6.00).
• Additionally, Kaitlyn Sikorski is first in assists per match (2.20) and eighth in points per game (3.40), Sarah Baumer is fifth in caused turnovers (1.60) and Julia Mattingly is third in draw controls (3.80)
• A year ago, in league-only action, Noelle Boyd finished first in points per match (4.67), third in goals per game (3.00) and assists per tilt (1.67) and seventh in ground balls (3.17) and shots per contest (6.17). Hinchcliffe was second in shots per contest (8.67) and goals per game (3.33) and sixth in draw controls (4.83) and in points per match (4.00). Baumer was third in caused turnovers (1.83), fourth in draw controls (5.83) and ninth in points per match (3.00), while Hannah Sanders was sixth in goals against average (11.17) and in saves per game (8.17) and eighth in save percentage (.422).

ZIPS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS:
• Kaitlyn Sikorski is 18th in the NCAA in total assists (11) and 38th in assists per game (2.20). Additionally, Katie Baumer is ranked 32nd in free position percentage (.667) and 36th in free position goals (0.80), and Kellen Fletcher is 38th in total assists (9).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe rated third in the NCAA in total goals (22), sixth in goals per game (4.40), eighth in total points (27) and shots (8.20), 13th in free position percentage (.800), 15th in points per match (5.40), 18th in shots on goal (5.40) and 36th in free position goals (0.80).
• Akron ranks 10th in the NCAA in ground balls (19.40), 15th in winning percentage (.800), 17th in assists per game (7.00), 26th in scoring offense (13.40), 27th in points (20.40), 28th in free position percentage (.533), 32nd in scoring margin (3.80), 39th in caused turnovers (9.40) and in shot percentage (.456), 41st in shots (29.40) and scoring defense (9.60) and 43rd in clearing percentage (.902).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe ranks 17th among active NCAA D1 leaders in points per game (3.70) and in goals per outing (2.90) and 29th in total goals (116), while Katie Baumer is rated 29th in caused turnovers (1.11), 42nd in ground balls (83) and 45th in draw controls (2.93).

UP NEXT:
Akron visits Arizona State in a 12 p.m. ET match on March 11 in Tempe, Ariz.