Elmira College at Empire 8 Tri-Match
Tri-MatchSchedule	Saturday, September 20: EC vs. Stevens - 11:00 a.m. Friday, September 12: EC vs. Houghton - 1:30 p.m.
Tournament Details	Walker Gymnasium - Hoboken, NJ
Live Coverage	Coverage

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team is coming off a heartbreaking five-set loss to Ithaca College in EC's Empire 8 Conference opener.  Fortunately, Elmira will have the opportunity to pick up their first conference win this weekend as the Soaring Eagles travel to Hoboken, NJ to compete against Stevens Institute of Technology and Houghton College.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira dropped a tight five set match to Ithaca College last Tuesday, September 16th.  The Soaring Eagles claimed the first set but would fall behind 2-1 after dropping the second and third sets.  EC won the fourth and had three match points in the fifth, but were unable to close it out as the Bombers took the final set, 16-14.  The Purple and Gold had three players with double-digit kills, including Kierstin Derr '16, Paola Ortiz '16, and Amanda Blinkinsop '16.
 
Career Night for Derr
Kierstin Derr '16 recorded 18 kills in Elmira's 3-2 loss to Ithaca.  Derr's 18 kills set a career high for the third-year outside hitter.  Her previous career high was 15, a mark she reached three times last year. 
 
Scouting Stevens
The Ducks of Stevens Tech enter the weekend with an 8-3 overall record and a 1-0 Empire 8 Conference mark.  Stevens is coming off a five set loss to SUNY New Paltz in their most recent contest, a match in which the Ducks held a 2-sets-to-1 lead.  The Ducks are led on offense by Mary Tobin who is third in the Empire 8 Conference in total kills with 113.  Also keep an eye on Katie Hall who is currently 18th in the country in aces per set (0.78).
 
Scouting Houghton
The Highlanders of Houghton College enter this weekend's matches with a 7-4 overall record and their match against Elmira will serve as Houghton's Empire 8 Conference opener.  Houghton is coming off a close 3-2 victory over the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford but the Highlanders have struggled to put together consecutive wins this year as they have traded victories with their opponents in their seven matches. The Highlanders main offensive target this season has been Hattie Burgher who has 137 kills this season and leads the Empire 8 with a 3.34 kills per set average.
 
Looking Ahead
Following this weekend's matches, the Soaring Eagles will have a few days off before hitting the road on Wednesday, September 24th to take on Alfred State in a 7:00 p.m. non-conference match.