ELMIRA STATS

ST. JOHN FISHER STATS

UTICA STATS

LIVE COVERAGE

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team makes the trip to Utica, NY tomorrow to compete in the Empire 8 Conference Tri-Match.  Elmira will face St. John Fisher College in the day's opening match at 2:30 p.m. before wrapping-up play against host Utica College at 5:00 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
The Soaring Eagles had a week between matches as EC competed most recently in the Hunter Tri-Match last weekend.  Elmira split matches, dropping one to host Hunter College before pulling out a five-set win over Rutgers University-Camden.  Sami Hanes '16 led Elmira with 57 assists in the two matches, 20 against Hunter and 37 against Rutgers-Camden.  Additionally, Samantha Hawksley '16 logged a career-high 20 digs in Elmira's 3-2 win over Rutgers-Camden.
 
Scouting the Cardinals
St. John Fisher College enters the weekend of play at Utica with a 9-19 overall record and a 2-4 record in the Empire 8 Conference.  The Cardinals have struggled as of late, dropping five of their previous six matches, including their most recent loss which came in the form of a 3-0 defeat to RIT.  Offensively, the Cardinals have and will continue to rely on rookie Madison Karwas who leads the team with 269 kills.  Elmira will also need to be aware of Fisher's two setters in Erica Stickler and Brooke Meader.  Stickler leads Fisher with 498 assists while Meader is close behind with 362.  Together, the duo account for 89 percent of Fisher's total assists.
 
Scouting the Pioneers
Utica College enters the Empire 8 Tri-Match with a 9-19 overall record and a 1-4 Empire 8 Conference record.  The Pioneers are coming off a 3-0 win against SUNY IT, a victory that snapped an ugly eight-game losing streak.  Offensively, the Pioneers are led by Brandi Blaszak who boasts a team-high 223 kills.  Blaszak should be a familiar face for Elmira as she posted a team-high 12 kills in Utica's 3-1 win against EC earlier this season.  Defensively, Elmira needs to watch out for Laura Homer-Gunther and Blaszak.  Homer-Gunther leads the team with 58 blocks while Blaszak is second with 50. 
 
Series History
Since 2001, Elmira and Fisher have faced each other 21 times.  The series is nearly even as the Cardinals hold a slight 11-10 edge in the series. 
 
Elmira and Utica have played each other 17 times since 2001 with the Soaring Eagles walking away victorious in 16 of the 17 matchups.  Utica won the most recent meeting 3-1, a match that took place earlier this year.
 
Looking Ahead
Following Saturday's matches, the Soaring Eagles will be back in action on Wednesday, October 29th when Elmira makes the short trip to Cortland, NY to face SUNY Cortland.  Game-time is set for 6:00 p.m.