Elmira College (10-7) vs. University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (7-13)
Thursday, October 8, 2015 | KOA Arena – Bradford, PA

Elmira, NY -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will welcome Elmira College women's volleyball team to the KOA Arena for a non-conference match on Thursday, October 8th, at 6:00 p.m.

After earning consecutive victories over SUNY Delhi, including a convincing 3-0 sweep of the Broncos at Spiedel Gymnasium on Tuesday, the Soaring Eagles will look to push their current win streak to three straight heading into an all-important Empire 8 Conference Crossover Tournament this weekend.

Last Time Out
In the last leg of the Hartwick College Tournament on October 3rd, the Soaring Eagles won the final three sets against SUNY Delhi to complete a come-from-behind 3-2 win. Tuesday's match, however, was one-sided in favor of the home team. EC was firing on all cylinders en route to a 3-0 sweep of the Broncos [25-12, 25-14, 25-15]. Elmira's offense hit at a .265 clip, the second highest mark of the season. Defensively, the Purple and Gold held the Broncos to a -.054 hitting percentage, the second time this season an opponent has been limited to negative percentage. In addition, EC collected a season-high 19 service aces, led by Natalie Schieder '19 with seven.

Put Me In Coach
Elmira head coach Rhonda Faunce emptied her bench on Tuesday with the match vs. SUNY Delhi well in hand. Appearing for only the fifth time this season, Karina Hastings '19 played all three sets, earning a season-best four kills and two block assists, while Kasey Campbell '19 served three aces. Alicia Day '17 recorded eight kills, a season-high, to lead the offense in her seventh match of 2015. Samantha Hawksley '16 made her 10th appearance and finished in a tie for second on the team with six digs. In addition, freshmen Chelsea Cappello '19, Liv Harnois '19, Rachel Katzenberger '19 and Hannah Vignone '19, as well as second-year student-athlete Courtney VanBuren '18, all made their season debuts.

Series History
The Soaring Eagles and Panthers have squared off eight times over the last 14 seasons, with EC holding an edge in the series, 5-3. Pitt-Bradford snapped a four-game series losing streak in EC's 2014 season opener with a straight-sets victory. In 2013, the Soaring Eagles won both matches against the Panthers – one on the road and one at home.

Scouting the Panthers
Pitt-Bradford enters Thursday's match on a two-game win streak after defeating Alfred University, 3-1, on October 3rd, and Hilbert College in straight sets on October 6th. Although the Panthers have won three of their last four, they suffered a seven-match losing streak from September 17-26. The match vs. Elmira will be the fourth home contest of the season for Pitt-Bradford; the Panthers are currently 2-1 at the KOA Arena. Freshman Kirsten Platz leads the offense with 175 kills and a .306 hitting percentage. Platz ranks third in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) in kills and fourth in hitting percentage. She is also tied for second in the AMCC in blocks per set at 0.84.

Up Next
The Elmira College women's volleyball team will continue conference play at the Empire 8 Crossover, hosted by St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, on Saturday, October 10th. The Purple and Gold will battle Utica College in a neutral site match at 1:30 p.m. before taking on the host Cardinals at 4:00 p.m.