Battle of MAC Unbeaten Teams as Akron Visits Massachusetts

Saturday, April 4

Amherst, Mass.

12:00 PM

University of Akron

Massachusetts

Battle of MAC Unbeaten Teams as Akron Visits Massachusetts

April 03 | Women's Lacrosse

AKRON, Ohio – In a battle of Mid-American Conference unbeaten teams, the University of Akron lacrosse squad will square off against Massachusetts in a 12 p.m. showdown on Saturday (April 4) in Amherst, Mass.

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 (45), points (61), shots (94), shots on goal (62) and ground balls (21), while ranking third in caused turnovers (8) and in draw controls (33). Katie Baumer is second on the team in goals (27). Senior Kellen Fletcher (Valencia, Pa.) paces the squad in assists (22), while junior Kaitlyn Sikorski (Plymouth, Minn.) ranks fourth with 14. Senior Heather Carey (Williamsville, N.Y.), ranks third on the squad in goals netting 26. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Adrianna Califano (Bellmore, N.Y.) has registered 70 saves, 18 ground balls and owns an 8.91 goals against average.

SCOUTING MASSACHUSETTS:
Akron is meeting Massachusetts for the first time in program history. The Minutewomen are 9-2 on the campaign, including 3-0 in the Mid-American Conference, following an 23-7 triumph over Bryant on Wednesday (April 1). Redshirt senior Kassidy Morris owns team-high totals in goals (44), points (62), shots (90) and shots on goal (61), while ranking second in assists (18). Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Bayley Duffy has collected 87 saves and 23 ground balls, respectively, en route to posting 8.22 goals against average. Massachusetts is led by fourth-year head coach Jana Drummond, who owns an 53-14 ledger as a head coach for the Minutewomen.

AKRON PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN MAC PRESEASON POLL:
The Mid-American Conference announced the 2026 Preseason Coaches' Poll on 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 RALLIES PAST EASTERN MICHIGAN:
Akron overcame a 5-1 first-quarter deficit to register a come-from-behind 10-9 Mid-American Conference victory past Eastern Michigan on Saturday (March 28) at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Health Field.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Sienna Hinchcliffe became Akron's all-time leading goal scorer when she connected on her second of a game-high four goals at the 5:50 mark of the third quarter. The tally represented her 137th career goal surpassing Noelle Boyd (2021-25) atop the program's leaderboard.
• Hinchcliffe's goal at the 7:09 mark of the fourth quarter broke an 8-8 tilt and put the Zips ahead to stay before Heather Carey netted the game-winning goal with 3:43 left in the game.
• Carey matched Hinchcliffe with a game-high four goals, while Katie Baumer and freshman Savannah Hinchcliffe (Rochester, N.Y.) each recorded a goal for the Zips.
• Senior Kellen Fletcher (Valencia, Pa.) directed Akron with a game-high three assists, while Baumer and Savannah Hinchcliffe added one assist apiece.
• Goalkeeper Adrianna Califano (Bellmore, N.Y.) pulled in five saves in the match for Akron.
• Redshirt junior Camryn Kwiatkowski (Pittsburgh, Pa.) paced the Zips with a team- and career-best four ground balls, while Hinchcliffe recorded a game-high six draw controls.
• Baumer tallied a game-best three caused turnovers.
• Recording a game- and career-high 12 shots, including eight 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 has scored three or more goals in 10 of 11 games this season, including four straight games. Additionally, she has posted three or more points in all 11 contests and registered double-figure shots in back-to-back games and four tilts overall.
• Katie Baumer has netted a goal in all 11 games this season, including two or more eight times. She has recorded four or more shots in nine matches.
• Hinchcliffe is atop the career list at Akron in total goals (139), goals per game (3.02), points per contest (3.96), assists per outing (0.93), shots per match (7.09), shots on goal per game (5.17) and woman-up goals, while rating second in total points (182), total assists (43), shots (326) and in shots on goal (238) and fourth in draw controls (129) and draw controls per tilt (2.80).
• Baumer is now atop Akron's career list in caused turnovers (68). Additionally, she is rated second at Akron in draw controls (181), third in draw controls per contest (2.97), fourth in goals (1.21) and points per game (1.80), total goals (74), total points (110), career assists (36), total shots (176) and shots on goal (128), fifth shots per match (2.89), assists per game (0.59) and caused turnovers per match (1.11), sixth in ground balls (92) and shots on goal per tilt (2.10) and ninth in ground balls per contest (1.51).
• Kellen Fletcher is third in total goals (42), fifth in total goals (61), total points (103), total shots (159) and shots on goal (121), sixth in points per game (1.72) and seventh in goals per tilt (1.02), shots per match (2.65) and shots on goal (2.02).
• Heather Carey is sixth in total goals (59) and total shots (150), seventh in total points (73), eighth in total goals (18) and draw controls (43) and 10th in draw controls (0.68).
• Kaitlyn Sikorski is third in assists per contest (0.70), fifth in total assists (31)
• Sienna Hinchcliffe supplanted Alexis Kiefer as the single season record holder for goals in program history with a career-best six-goal effort last season against Robert Morris. She finished the campaign with 59 goals a year ago.
• 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 second in the Mid-American Conference in goals against average (8.91), in goals (12.55), assists (7.00), points (19.55), shots (28.45) and shots on goal (19.36) per game and draw controls (10.91).
• In league-only matches, Akron is ranked second in the league in goals (14.67), assists (9.33), points (24.00), shots (30.33), shots on goal (20.67), goals against average (5.67) and draw controls (13.33).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe is first in the conference in goals per game (4.09) and in shots (8.55), second in points per outing (5.55), sixth in assists per tilt (1.45) and ninth in draw controls (3.09).
• Katie Baumer is fourth in points (3.82), fifth in goals per game (2.45), seventh in draw controls (3.36) and in assists (1.36) and eighth in shots (5.45), while Kellen Fletcher is second in assists (2.00) and eighth in points per match (3.18).
• Adrianna Califano is second in goals against average (8.91) and fifth in save percentage (.417) and in saves (6.36).
• Additionally, Kaitlyn Sikorski is eighth in assists per match (1.27), Sarah Baumer is fourth in caused turnovers (1.73), Julia Mattingly is fifth in draw controls (3.45) and Heather Carey is seventh in goals per contest (2.36).
• In league-only action, Hinchcliffe is first in points per contest (7.33), second in goals per game (4.67), third in assists per tilt (2.6) and shots per match (9.00) and fourth in draw controls (5.00). Califano is third in the MAC in league-only goals against average (5.67), fifth in saves percentage (.514) and sixth in saves per game (6.00). Additionally, Baumer is fifth in assists per match (2.00), sixth in points per contest (4.33), goals per game (2.33) and shots per match (6.33) and eighth in draw controls (3.67), Carey is third in goals per game (3.67) and eighth in points per contest (3.67), Fletcher is third in assists per tilt (2.67) and sixth in points per contest (4.33) and Mattingly is ninth in draw controls (3.00).

ZIPS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS:
• Katie Baumer is seventh in the NCAA in free position percentage (.727) and 32nd in free position goals (0.73).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe rated fourth in the NCAA in goals per game (4.09) and in shots (8.55), sixth in total goals (45), seventh in points per match (5.55), ninth in total points (61), 10th in shots on goal (5.64) and 32nd in free position goals (0.73). Additionally, Kellen Fletcher is 38th in assists per game (2.00) and 43rd in total assists (22) and Adrianna Califano is 19th in goals against average (8.91).
• Akron ranks third in the NCAA in free position percentage (.625), 17th in ground balls (17.36), 20th in winning percentage (.727), 21st in scoring defense (8.91), 25th in assists per game (7.00), 28th in scoring margin (3.64), 36th in points per match (19.55), 38th in clearing percentage (.896), 41st in shot percentage (.441), 43rd in scoring offense (12.55) and 50th in shots per contest (28.45).
• Hinchcliffe ranks 11th among active NCAA D1 leaders in goals per outing (3.02), 15th in points per game (3.96), 22nd in total goals (139) and 28th in total points (182), while Baumer is rated 37th in caused turnovers (1.11) and 49th in draw controls (2.97) Califano is ranked 14th in goals against average (8.91).

UP NEXT:
Akron travels to Moon Township, Pa., to square off against Robert Morris on Saturday (April 11) at 1 p.m.