Elmira College (1-0, 0-0 Empire 8) at the Elmira College Tournament
Friday, September 11, 2015 | Saturday, September 12, 2015 
Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team will be looking to keep the ball rolling this weekend as the Soaring Eagles welcome five teams to Speidel Gymnasium for the EC Tournament.  The two-day event begins this evening, September 11th with a pair of matches at 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and continues tomorrow, September 12th with another set of matches at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
 
Season-Opening Win
Elmira College opened the 2015 season with an impressive 3-0 road win over Penn College.  With the win, Elmira has successfully won four of their last five season-opening games dating back to the 2011 season.  Additionally, Wednesday night's matchup against the Wildcats of Penn College is the first time since 2009 that the Soaring Eagles have opened the year against a team other than the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
 
Dual Threat
Coach Faunce utilized the setting efforts of Sami Hanes '16 and Taylor Kaznowski '19 in their match against the Wildcats, a strategy that paid dividends for EC.  Hanes and Kaznowski paced the Elmira offense, combining for 21 assists, 11 for Hanes and 10 for Kaznowski.
 
Defense is the Key
For Elmira, defense is the name of the game in 2015.  Against Penn College, EC held the Wildcats to a -.203 hitting percentage, marking the first time Elmira has forced an opponent to hit in the negatives since 2013.  Setting the tone on defense for Elmira was first-year talent Natalie Schieder '19 and Amanda Blinkinsop '16, who both finished with eight digs apiece.
 
Bombs Away
The ability to produce effective serves was another strong point for the Soaring Eagles against the Wildcats.  Elmira registered 10 service aces in the three set match.  Last season, EC finished with double-digit aces in nine matches but only two of those nine occurred in three-set matches.
 
Looking Ahead
Following this weekend's matches, the Soaring Eagles will open Empire 8 Conference play against neighboring Ithaca College on Tuesday, September 15th, at 6:00 p.m. in EC's Speidel Gymnasium.
 
Tournament Schedule

Friday, September 11th
Court One
4:00 p.m.	Elmira vs. Morrsiville State
6:00 p.m.	Elmira vs. Wells
Court Two
4:00 p.m.	Wells vs. Mt. Aloysius
6:00 p.m.	Mt. Aloysius vs. Morrisville State
Saturday, September 12th
Court One
11:00 a.m.	Elmira vs. Keuka
1:00 p.m.	Elmira vs. Mt. Aloysius
3:00 p.m.	Alfred State vs. Mt. Aloysius
Court Two
11:00 a.m.	Alfred State vs. Morrisville State
1:00 p.m.	Keuka vs. Morrisville State