Akron Battles Arizona State

Wednesday, March 11

Tempe, Ariz.

12:00 PM ET

University of Akron

Arizona State

March 10 | Women's Lacrosse

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron lacrosse team visits Arizona State for a 12 p.m. ET non-conference match on Wednesday (March 11) in Tempe, Ariz.

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 (25), points (30), shots (49) and shots on goal (31), while ranking second in ground balls (13) and caused turnovers (7). Katie Baumer is second on the team in goals (16). Senior Kellen Fletcher (Valencia, Pa.) and junior Kaitlyn Sikorski (Plymouth, Minn.) pace the squad in assists (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 37 saves, 11 ground balls and owns a 9.33 goals against average.

SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE:
Akron is meeting Arizona State for the first time in program history. The Sun Devils are 4-3 on the campaign following a 19-12 triumph past Bucknell on Sunday (March 8). Seniors Teagan Ng and Lydia Oldknow have combined to register 51 goals, netting 25 and 26 tallies, respectively. Oldknow leads the squad in goals (26), shots (54) and shots on goal (43), while senior Jordyn Behar owns team-high marks in assists (23) and points (39). Sophomore goalkeeper Regan Spichigher and freshman Gabriella Henry have collected 37 and 20 saves, respectively, en route to posting a combined 12.15 goals against average. Arizona State is led by fourth-year head coach Taryn VanThof Puls, who owns an 30-34 ledger as a head coach for the Sun Devils.

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 EDGES XAVIER:
Directed by a three-goal afternoon from Sienna Hinchcliffe, Akron lacrosse registered a 6-5 triumph at Xavier on March 1 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Akron collected a team- and game-high three goals from Hinchcliffe, while netting one goal apiece were Katie Baumer and Kellen Fletcher along with sophomore Julia Mattingly (Leonardtown, Md.).
• Adrianna Califano registered seven saves for the Zips.
• Fletcher tallied a game-high two assists for Akron, while Baumer also recorded an assist.
• Kaitlyn Sikorski posted a team-high five ground balls, while Mattingly pulled in a team-best eighth draw controls.
• Sikorski collected two caused turnovers for Akron.
• Recording eight shots, including four 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 atop Akron's career list in caused turnovers (62). Additionally, she is rated third at Akron 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 goals against average (9.33), second in goals (12.17), assists (6.33), ground balls (18.83) and points per game (18.50) and third in shots (28.33) and shots on goal (18.83).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe is first in the conference in goals per game (4.17), points per outing (5.00) and in shots (8.17).
• Katie Baumer is fourth in goals per game (2.67) and in points (3.83), seventh in draw controls (3.33) and in shots (5.17) and ninth in assists (1.17), while Kellen Fletcher is third in assists (1.83) and eighth in points per match (3.00) and Heather Carey is ninth in shots per game (4.50).
• Adrianna Califano is second in goals against average (9.33), fifth in save percentage (.411) and in saves (6.17).
• Additionally, Kaitlyn Sikorski is third in assists per match (1.83) and sixth in ground balls (2.67), Sarah Baumer is second in caused turnovers (1.67) and Julia Mattingly is third in draw controls (4.50)
• 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 39th in the NCAA in ground balls (2.67). Additionally, Katie Baumer is ranked 22nd in free position goals (0.667).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe rated fourth in the NCAA in goals per game (4.17), 17th in total goals (25), ninth in shots (8.17), 15th in free position percentage (.714), 19th in points per match (5.00), 22nd in shots on goal (5.17), 31st in free position goals (0.83) and 45th in total points (30).
• Akron ranks 11th in the NCAA in ground balls (18.67), 12th in winning percentage (.833), 27th in free position percentage (.529), 28th in scoring defense (8,83), 31st in scoring margin (3.33), 35th in assists per game (6.33), 40th in clearing percentage (.900), 41st in points (18.50), 47th in scoring offense (12.17) and in caused turnovers (8.83), and 50th in shots (28.33).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe ranks 19th among active NCAA D1 leaders in points per game (3.68) and in goals per outing (2.90) and 30th in total goals (119), while Katie Baumer is rated 36th in caused turnovers (1.11) and 48th in ground balls (84) and in draw controls (2.91).

UP NEXT:
Akron opens Mid-American Conference play welcoming Detroit Mercy to InfoCision Stadium-Summa Health Field for a 1 p.m. match on Saturday (March 14).