Semifinal #1
No. 4 Elmira College (18-13, 5-3 E8) at No. 1 Stevens Institute of Technology (16-11, 8-0 E8)
Saturday, November 7, 2015 | 12:00 P.M. | Canavan Arena – Hoboken, NJ
Live Stats | Live Video
 
Semifinal #2
No. 2 Ithaca College (25-3, 7-1 E8) vs. No. 3 Nazareth College (17-15, 5-3 E8)
Saturday, November 7, 2015 | 2:30 P.M. | Canavan Arena – Hoboken, NJ
Live Stats | Live Video
 
Final
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2
Sunday, November 8, 2015 | 12:00 P.M. | Canavan Arena – Hoboken, NJ
Live Stats | Live Video
 
Ticket Prices
General Admission: $5
Students/Faculty/Staff with valid ID: $3
Children Under 12: Free
 
Directions
Please visit the following link for directions to Canavan Arena: CLICK HERE.
Please visit the following link for a map of the Stevens Institute of Technology campus: CLICK HERE.
 
Elmira, NY -- After a one-year hiatus, the Elmira College women's volleyball team returns to the Empire 8 Conference Tournament this weekend. The Soaring Eagles will open the tournament on Saturday, November 7^th, when they take on the No. 1 seed and tournament-host Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology in the first of two semifinal matches on the day at 12:00 p.m. If Elmira should win, it will advance to the final at 12:00 p.m. the following afternoon, in which the Soaring Eagles would play the winner of the second semifinal matchup between No. 2 Ithaca College and No. 3 Nazareth College.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira used its final weekend as a quality tune-up for this weekend's tournament. Having already secured its place in the conference tournament field with a victory over Houghton on October 24^th, the Soaring Eagles concluded its regular season at the Dig Pink Invitational, hosted by SUNY Oneonta. Elmira opened the two-day event with a straight-sets victory over Bard College on Friday evening. It was a total team effort for the Soaring Eagles, as eight players registered kills, while Kierstin Derr '16 led the way with six on the evening. It was a mixed bag for Elmira on the second day of the tournament. EC opened the day with four-set victory over Plattsburgh State. The Purple and Gold posted a .255 hitting percentage as a team, with Ashley Heiman '16, Natalie Schieder '19 and Kelsey Ross '16 all posting 11 or more kills. Elmira fell short of the perfect weekend, falling in straight-sets to the tournament hosts in the final match of the day. Paola Ortiz '16 was a bright-spot for the Soaring Eagles in the match, posting 10 kills in the losing effort. With the 2-1 weekend, Elmira finished the regular season with an 18-13 overall record.
 
Elmira at the Empire 8 Tournament
This weekend marks the eighth time since 2002 that Elmira has qualified for the conference tournament. The Soaring Eagles have been a staple in the tournament over recent years, as this will be the fifth time they have appeared in the tournament over the last six seasons. EC is still looking to score its first Empire 8 Championship over the stretch. The Soaring Eagles have posted a 3-7 record in those eight appearances, twice reaching the final, which came in back-to-back years in 2010 and 2011. Elmira was twice the conference's top seed in 2011 and 2012, while it was the league's third seed in its most recent appearance in the tournament in 2013.
 
First Meeting at the Empire 8 Tournament
While the Soaring Eagles have seen Ithaca and Nazareth multiple times in the postseason, this Saturday will mark the first time that the Elmira has faced Stevens outside of the regular season. The match will be a tough assignment for the Soaring Eagles, as the Ducks have appeared in the tournament final five times since 2007, winning four titles.
 
All-Conference Wrap-Up
Elmira placed three players on Empire 8 All-Conference teams, which were announced by the league office earlier this week. Ashley Heiman '16 and Natalie Schieder '19 were Honorable Mention selections, while Alica Day '17 was selected as the team's Sportswoman of the Year. Heiman posted an excellent conclusion to her Elmira career, marking new career-highs with 297 kills and 64 digs. She collected double-digit kills in 14 matches this season, while her 2.65 kills per set ranked ninth amongst E8 hitters this season. Her defense at the net-front was also strong, as she led the team with 46 total blocks, moving into fourth place on the program's all-time list for assisted blocks (161) and eighth in total blocks (224). While Heiman's career was winding toward conclusion, Schieder's was just getting started. She made an immediate impact in her debut season, leading the Soaring Eagles with 322 kills and 54 service aces during the regular season. She also showed her defensive prowess, finishing second on the team with 299 digs. Her 322 kills were fifth-most in the conference this season, while her 2.95 kills per set average was good for sixth.
 
Last Matchup vs. Stevens
Elmira fell to Stevens in straight-sets in the teams' matchup at Speidel Gymnasium on October 24^th. The Ducks jumped out to an early advantage in the opening set, but Elmira would close within one-point at 12-11 midway through the set. A four-point run by the visitor's secured control of the set, as the Ducks would pull away 25-16. Elmira actually controlled the lead midway through the middle set at 13-8; however, a pair of four-point runs pulled Stevens level at 16-16. The Ducks would close out the set on a 9-3 run to grab firm control of the match. The runs continued to plague the Soaring Eagles in the third set, as four-point and five-point runs helped the Ducks pull away for a 25-16 finish to close out the match. The Ducks held Elmira to a .051 hitting percentage as a team, with Heiman and Ross leading the Soaring Eagles with seven kills apiece. Stevens' powerful attacking duo of Mary Tobin and Brianna Evans tied with a match-high 12 kills each, while Tobin also added 10 digs to be the lone player to secure a double-double in the match.
 
Last Matchup vs. Ithaca
Elmira's meeting with Ithaca came way back in the first half of the season, as the teams squared off in the Empire 8 Conference opener at Speidel Gymnasium on September 15^th. Things looked extremely promising for the Soaring Eagles early in the match, as Elmira went on an 8-0 run midway through the opening set en route to a 25-20 first-set win. Another big 6-0 run in the middle of the second set, gave EC a sizeable advantage it would carry to an 18-10 lead. From there the Bombers would whittle away at the lead, eventually pulling ahead with a 4-1 run to close out the middle set 25-23. The third set was again quite competitive; however, a four-point run by the Bombers midway through the set widened the gap to a six-point advantage at 14-8. The Soaring Eagles would close the deficit to just one-point later in the set, but Ithaca would hold off the charge down the stretch to take the set 25-20. The Bombers would control things from the outset in the decisive fourth set to close out the match. Schieder led all players with a match-high 17 kills on a .350 hitting percentage. Joelle Goldstein paced Ithaca with 14 kills and 16 digs in a double-double performance.
 
Last Matchup vs. Nazareth
The Soaring Eagles fell in straight-sets at Nazareth College in their lone matchup earlier this season in Oneonta, NY, on September 26^th. The opening set of the match was quite competitive; however, with the Golden Flyers leading 18-16, they posted a four-point run to snatch control of the first set. The home side would control things from the outset in the middle frame to take a commanding two set advantage into the third. Elmira showed excellent fight in the final set, maintaining a slim lead throughout the set. Unfortunately, the Soaring Eagles could not string a run to pull away from Nazareth, which proved costly as the Golden Flyers closed the match in extra-points 27-25. Schieder paced Elmira in the contest with seven kills, while Cady Messmer of Nazareth posted a match-high 11 kills.
 
Scouting Stevens
Stevens continued to cement its place as the preeminent women's volleyball program in the Empire 8 this season. The Ducks posted a 21-11 overall record during the regular season, which included a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play to secure the conference's regular season crown for the third consecutive year. Stevens got off to a relatively slow start to the year, going 4-6 through the team's first 10 matches; however, the Ducks were tested against some of the nation's top programs. The team turned things around following the Ducks Classic that they hosted on September 18-19. Stevens went 15-3 following the two-day tournament, which included eight straight match wins to close out the regular season. The Ducks are paced by the dynamic outside hitting combo of Mary Tobin (375 kills) and Christina Sciarra (305 kills). Tobin paced the conference with a 3.41 kills per set to take home Empire 8 Player of the Year. Defensively, the Ducks are led on the ground by libero Sydni Horner who took home Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year, after pacing the league with 625 digs on the year. Annemarie Thomas is an intimidating presence at the net-front, finishing the year with a team-leading 66 total blocks, which included 17 solos.
 
Scouting Ithaca
Ithaca completed an excellent regular season again in 2015. The squad posted an Empire 8-best 28-4 overall record during the regular season, but was edged by Stevens in their meeting to come up just short of hosting the conference tournament. The Bombers' other three losses on the year came at The College at Brockport, on September 5^th, at Wellesley College, on October 16^th, and at Ramapo College in the final match of the regular season. The Bombers placed four athletes on Empire 8 All-Conference teams, led by Joelle Goldstein, Katie Evans and Kayla Gromen as First Team selections. Goldstein paced the Bombers with 349 kills to finish third in the conference. Evans posted an excellent debut season, finishing with 266 kills to take home Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors. Gromen was the conference's top setter finishing with a league-best 1,171 assists, while also finishing second in the conference with 61 service aces. Defensively, Ithaca was buoyed by the ground work of Dylan Gawinski-Stern, who led the team with 470 digs, which was good for the fifth-best mark in the conference. Amanda Cerruti was a force at the net-front, leading the conference with 99 total blocks, which included 18 solos.
 
Scouting Nazareth
Nazareth was consistently inconsistent during its 2015 campaign, finishing with a 19-16 overall record and a 5-3 mark in conference play. The Golden Flyers never were really able to get on a roll, as they posted a season-long winning-streak of just four matches, which occurred at the very beginning the season. Despite the middling record, Nazareth is not to be trifled with, as they boast one of the most talented teams in the conference. The Golden Flyers were led by three Empire 8 All-Conference selections, which included Second Team honorees Cady Messmer and Jennifer Hicks. Messmer led all Empire 8 hitters with 391 kills during the regular season, while her 73 services aces were also the top mark in the conference this year. Hicks proved to be an excellent complement to Messmer, finishing with 277 kills, while she was also stalwart defensively, finishing fifth in the conference with 63 total blocks. Maureen Thayer was an Honorable Mention selection as the team's primary setter, finishing second in the conference with 1,001 assists.