Score: Elmira College 3 – Utica College 0 [25-15, 25-19, 25-20]
Score: Elmira College 3 – St. John Fisher College 1 [25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 25-16]
Record: Elmira (12-8, 4-2 E8); Utica (4-19, 1-5 E8); Fisher (10-10, 1-5 E8)
Location: Bobby Wanzer Court – Pittsford, NY
Pittsford, NY -- First-year setter
Taylor Kaznowski '19 shined for the Elmira College women's volleyball team as the Soaring Eagles swept its doubleheader at the Empire 8 Conference Crossover, hosted by St. John Fisher College, Saturday afternoon.
The Purple and Gold opened the day with a straight-sets victory over the Pioneers of Utica College. In the nightcap, EC defeated the host Cardinals, 3-1, to improve to 4-2 inside the E8 on the season.
The Elmira offense found its grove, hitting above .200 in both contests. It marks the first time the Soaring Eagles have equaled that feat in consecutive matches since doing so in the first three matches of the season. In addition, Kaznowski not only reached the 40-assist mark for the first time in her brief career, but she did so in both matches, finishing with a combined 81 assists on the afternoon.
Kaznowski was also one of two Soaring Eagles to record a double-double against Fisher with a career-high 41 assists and 11 digs. Fellow first-year student-athlete
Natalie Schieder '19 earned her seventh double-double of her rookie campaign with 14 kills and 15 digs.
In Their Own Words…Head Coach
Rhonda Faunce on earning two conference wins Saturday…
"These wins keep us in the chase to make the Empire 8 Conference Tournament. If we didn't win, making the tournament would have been out of reach."Coach Faunce on Kaznowski's performance…
"She makes it seem effortless sometimes because she is so athletic. We played a 5-1 rotation today with just her setting because she played exceptionally well."Coach Faunce on the success of the offense…
"We played with great emotion, lots of energy, and we fought, much like the first weekend of the season. It was a great team effort, and Natalie Schieder and Ashley Heiman both hit well."Turning Point (Utica)After taking the first set and a 1-0 lead against the Pioneers, the Soaring Eagles faced some resistance early in the second set. Utica took a brief 6-5 lead, but
Paola Ortiz '16 and Schieder responded with consecutive kills to retake the lead, 7-6. From there, EC won 11 of the next 13 points, taking a decisive 18-9 advantage en route to winning the set, 25-19. Up 2-0, Elmira closed the match with a 25-20 victory in the final set.
Turning Point (St. John Fisher)The Soaring Eagles and Cardinals played to a 1-1 tie after the first two sets. In the third set, the Purple and Gold held the home team to a .000 hitting percentage, as Fisher committed a match-high eight errors. In the fourth and final set, EC's offense closed the match by hitting a match-best .297. Schieder earned six of Elmira's 14 kills in the fourth set to pace the attack.
Inside the Box (Utica)- Ashley Heiman '16 led EC with 13 kills.
- Kelsey Ray '17 hit a team-high .467 in the match.
- Kelsey Ross '16 hit .400 and had a team-high 24 digs.
- Elmira closed the match with a .314 hitting percentage in the third set, the best percentage in any set between the two matches on Saturday.
- Kaznowski recorded 40 of the team's 41 assists.
- As a team, Utica committed 21 attacking errors and hit a mere .027.
Inside the Box (St. John Fisher)- Heiman and Schieder each collected 14 kills to pace Elmira.
- Ortiz recorded eight kills without an attacking error.
- Kaznowski bested her total from the Utica match with 41 assists, a career-high.
- EC finished with 80 digs as a team, a new season-high.
- Five different Soaring Eagles had double-digit digs, led by Kasey Campbell with 17, and was joined by Schieder (15), Ross (14), Kaznowski (11), and Amanda Blinkinsop '16 (10).
- Fisher's Anna Marcy put together an impressive performance with 16 kills and a .500 hitting percentage, both match-bests.
News and Notes- Elmira hit above .200 as a team in back-to-back matches for the first time since the opening the season doing so in the first three matches of 2015.
- Kaznowski recorded a career-best 40 assists against Utica, and then rewrote her personal record with 41 vs. Fisher.
- Schieder and Kaznowski each earned their seventh double-doubles of the season vs. Fisher.
- Kaznowski has recorded at least 10 assists in all 20 matches this season.
- Ross has recorded double-digit digs in five straight matches, including a season-high 24 vs. Utica.
Up NextThe Soaring Eagles return home to Speidel Gymnasium to welcome the Wildcats of Cazenovia College on Thursday, October 15th at 6:00 p.m. On Friday, October 16th, and Saturday, October 17th, the Purple and Gold host the Elmira College Invitational; EC plays SUNY Canton and SUNY Geneseo to open the tournament on Saturday.
