Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team is off to a perfect start through the first five games of the 2015 campaign. Although the Soaring Eagles improved to 5-0 with a pair of wins on Saturday, the team's fortitude was tested.

With the match tied at one set apiece against Keuka College, the Purple and Gold won two straight sets to earn the 3-1 win. In the nightcap, however, the Soaring Eagles needed all five sets to dispatch the Mounties of Mount Aloysius College, 3-2, in a back-and-forth battle.

Natalie Schieder '19 paced the EC offense with a combined 23 kills on the day while fellow freshman Taylor Kaznowski '19 recorded 50 assists. Not to be outshone by the newcomers, Sami Hanes '16 finished with 27 assists and 15 digs while Amanda Blinkinsop '16 equaled Schieder with a team-high 25 digs.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Rhonda Faunce on her team's performance…
"I'm very proud of the team. We faced some tough moments but they stuck together and pulled it out. When we struggled we had some struggles passing, but all in all it was a good group effort."

Faunce on the five-set victory vs. Mount Aloysius…
"It was a great growing moment. We are a very young team and every challenge that we overcome will help us grow."

Faunce on first-year student-athletes Schieder and Kaznowski…
"I cannot get over how poised Natalie and Taylor are as freshmen. They are so young but they have been playing like seasoned professionals."

Turning Point (Keuka)
After Elmira cruised to a 25-11 victory in the first set, the Wolfpack responded with a tight 25-23 win to tie the game in the second set. The Soaring Eagles would pull ahead in the third by taking the set 25-17. After allowing Keuka's offense to hit .200 in the second set, the EC defense forced the Wolfpack into six errors and a –0.042 hitting percentage.

Turning Point (Mount Aloysius)
Elmira averaged seven attack errors in the two sets won by the Mounties. However, with the match on the line in the fifth and final set, the Soaring Eagles did not commit an error while collecting nine kills and hitting at a .391 rate to seal the second game of the day.

Inside the Box (Keuka)

• In the dominate 25-11 set-one win, Elimira hit .571 with only one error while Keuka hit a match-worst -0.043.
• Schieder led the Purple and Gold with 11 kills and was tied for the team lead with 13 digs.
• Blinkinsop matched Schieder on defense with 13 digs, tying her season high.
• Schieder and Kelsey Ross '16 only committed one error each but Kierstin Derr '16 was errorless in 17 total attacks.
• Derr led Elmira with a .471 hitting percentage.
• Kaznowski and Hanes combined for 37 of EC's 41 assists with 19 and 18 assists, respectively.

Inside the Box (Mount Aloysius)

• Elmira hit a season-worst .138 in the match with 24 errors.
• Defensively, however, the Soaring Eagles collected season-highs with 65 digs and nine total blocks.
• Four different Soaring Eagles finished with double-digit digs: Blinkinsop and Scheider each had 12 while Kaznowski and Ross each collected 10.
• Schieder earned a double-double for the fourth consecutive match with 12 kills to go along with her dozen digs.
• Kaznowski tied her season best with 31 assists while earning her second career double-double.

Up Next
The Elmira College women's volleyball team will open play in the Empire 8 Conference on Tuesday, September 15th at 6:00 p.m. when the Purple and Gold host Ithaca College at Speidel Gymnasium.