Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team gave the number two team in the nation all it could handle, but it would be the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs that would come out on top in EC's regular season finale, 3-1 (25-12, 21-25, 27-25, 25-23). Erik Griffin'16 and Mike Ellison'16 again led the Soaring Eagle attack with 13 and 11 kills, respectively.
 
Griffin hit .455 and Ellison hit .360 in the match, but EC could not overcome the consistency of the Banana Slugs, who have not lost to a Division III institution all season. Credit that consistency to UC Santa Cruz's ability to return serve and pass effectively as they allowed just four Elmira aces, two of which were credited to Mark Kawecki '17. This was in contrast of yesterday's performance which saw the Soaring Eagles record a total of 17 service aces in their two matches.
 
Tyler Smith '15 and Evan Clarke '15, playing for the last time at Speidel Gymnasium, again combined to effectively lead Elmira's attack as the team's setters. Smith recorded 22 assists while Clarke tallied 19 in the match.
 
Defensively, it was Rob Shade'15, who was also playing his last home match, and Smith who did their best to fend off Santa Cruz's attacks, posting dig totals of 13 and 10, respectively. EC also held its own at the net, totaling 8.0 blocks on the afternoon. Andrew Johnson'16 and Smith each had a solo block, while Johnson also added three block assists to lead the team with four total blocks.
 
The Purple and Gold got off to a slow start against the Banana Slugs and dropped the first set, 25-12. After a quick break in-between sets, EC switched sides and played the type of volleyball that led them to their three-match winning streak. Although it was close throughout, Elmira pulled out the second set, 25-21, to even the match at one set apiece.
 
The third set was another nail-biter, as the teams went back-and-forth. The Soaring Eagles, with its fans behind them, looked to pull ahead in the match and put themselves in a position to upset UC Santa Cruz, but they would fall in the third set, 27-25. Then, late in the fourth set, Elmira faced match point at 24-21. EC fought off two match points, bringing it to 24-23, but the Banana Slugs ended the match on the very next point, downing the Purple and Gold in four sets.
 
Elmira will now set their sights on the UVC Tournament which will take place from April 10th to the 12th at Stevens Tech in Hoboken, NJ. The fifth-seeded Soaring Eagles open their postseason run in the UVC Tournament Quarterfinals against fourth-seeded NYU on Friday, April 10th at 4:00 p.m.