Elmira College (15-11, 4-2 Empire 8)
Houghton College (16-8, 5-1 Empire 8)
Stevens Institute of Technology (13-11, 5-0 Empire 8)
Saturday, October 24, 2015 | 11:00 A.M. & 4:00 P.M. | Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- Although Elmira College women's volleyball has played in 26 matches already this season, none of those compare in magnitude to the two matches EC will play tomorrow, October 24th, as the Soaring Eagles welcome the Empire 8 Conference's top two teams in Stevens Institute of Technology and Houghton College. Playoff implications will be on the line tomorrow, for all teams involved, as the tournament field has yet to be set.
 
Last Time Out
The Soaring Eagles enter the weekend after dropping a hard fought five-set decision on the road to the University of Rochester. Elmira was led on offense by rookie outside hitter Natalie Schieder '19, who produced a team-high 14 kills. Fellow classmate Taylor Kaznowski '19 helped orchestrate the EC attack with 34 assists, while Kelsey Ross '16 spearheaded Elmira's defensive efforts on the ground with 21 digs.
 
Season-High Defensive Effort
As a team, Elmira registered a season-high 84 digs against Rochester on Wednesday night. EC's 84 digs mark the second time this season the Purple and Gold have produced 80 or more. The last time Elmira finished with 84 or more digs dates back to last season's October 25th match with Utica College, when the Soaring Eagles made 92.
 
EC in Five Setters
Elmira fought valiantly on the road against Rochester on Wednesday, but would fall short in five sets. With the loss, Elmira's record in five-set matches stands at 2-2 this year. Since 2012, the Soaring Eagles are 11-10 in five setters, however, the Purple and Gold have seen greater success in those marathon matches recently, going 6-3 over the last two seasons.
 
Scouting the Ducks
Stevens Institute of Technology enters the weekend sitting atop the Empire 8 Conference standings with an unblemished 5-0 league record, which does not include its result against Hartwick College on Friday night. Offensively, the Ducks have relied on the efforts of Mary Tobin and Christina Sciarra, who have 262 and 224 kills on the year, respectively. Defensively, Sydni Horner has been getting it done for the Ducks, as her 5.36 digs per set average leads the Empire 8 Conference.
 
Scouting the Highlanders
Houghton College is fresh off a 3-0 sweep of Hilbert College last Thursday night, as the Highlanders improved to 16-8 on the season. The Highlanders might be playing their best volleyball of the season as of late, as Houghton is 8-1 in its last nine matches, with five of those victories coming in the form of 3-0 sweeps. The Highlanders are led on offense this season by Hattie Burgher and her team-leading 264 kills. Defensively, Naomi Prentice has been a wall up at net with a conference-leading 71 total blocks. 
 
Looking Ahead
Following Saturday's conference matches, the Soaring Eagles wrap-up the regular season with a trip to the Oneonta State Tournament, beginning with a Friday, October 30th matchup with Bard College at 5:00 p.m.