Elmira, NY -- The No. 10 nationally ranked Elmira College men's volleyball team (2-1) will look to continue their winning this weekend as the Soaring Eagles hit the road to compete in the always competitive Juniata Invitational. Elmira opens play with an 8:00 p.m. showdown on Friday, January 23rd against the No. 1 team in the country, Juniata College.
Looking Back on Last WeekElmira opened the 2015 season at the Kean Men's Volleyball Classic in Union, NJ, going 2-1 at the season-opening event. The Soaring Eagles dropped their season-opener to No. 6 Kean University in five very close sets but would bounce back on day two of the event, earning a pair of 3-0 victories against 2014 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinalist, Endicott College, and Hunter College.
Outsides All DayOutside hitters
Erik Griffin '16 and
Mike Ellison '16 played vital roles in Elmira's 2-1 showing during the season-opening weekend of play. The duo combined for 59 of Elmira's 139 kills, making up 42 percent of EC's total kills. Griffin logged 34 kills in the three matches, including a 22-kill effort against No. 6 Kean. Ellison added 25 kills and also had his best outing against Kean, totaling 17 kills against the Cougars.
Shade of GreatnessStarting libero,
Rob Shade '15, enters the Juniata Invitational with 706 career digs. He is 11 digs away from moving into sole possession of second place in Elmira College history for career digs and 57 digs away from moving into a two-way tie for first place on that same list.
Series HistoryElmira will play against three teams at this weekend's invitational. Below is the breakdown of how Elmira has fared against these teams.
Juniata College: 0-5 (last meeting in 2014 – Juniata won, 3-0)
Baruch College: 2-3 (last meeting in 2014 – Elmira won, 3-0)
Thiel College: 4-2 (last meeting in 2014 – Thiel won, 3-2)
