Elmira, NY -- The fall sports season kicked into full swing this past week, with eight Soaring Eagles teams in action over the weekend. Highlighting the weekend's action was EC men's soccer notching its first win of 2015, while women's volleyball swept all four of their contests at the EC Quad Match held at Speidel Gymnasium. Women's soccer had a busy weekend with a pair of contests, field hockey opened Empire 8 Conference play against Nazareth, while cross country and women's golf made their 2015 debuts.
 
Top News for the Week Ahead
 
Empire 8 Play Heats Up
Although the season is only two weeks old, several Soaring Eagles programs will engage in conference matchups this week. Women's volleyball kicks things off with its first Empire 8 match of 2015, as Elmira will welcome Ithaca College to Speidel Gymnasium on Tuesday, September 15^th, for a 6:00 p.m. contest. Elmira men's soccer will also open their Empire 8 slate this week when the squad welcomes Stevens Institute of Technology to Campus Field for a 1:00 p.m. kick on Saturday, September 19^th. EC field hockey and women's tennis will also continue their conference schedules this weekend at the Murray Athletic Center. Field hockey welcomes Utica College for a 1:00 p.m. start on Saturday, while women's tennis plays host to 1:00 p.m. matches against St. John Fisher College and Utica College on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
 
Men's Golf Heads to Empire 8 Championships
After a tune-up at the Keuka College Invitational on Wednesday, September 16^th, Elmira men's golf will head to Baldwinsville, NY, for the Empire 8 Championships this weekend. The two-day tournament is set to get underway the morning of Saturday, September 19^th, at the Timber Banks Golf Club.
 
A Look Back on the Week That Was…
 
Women's Volleyball Off to Fast Start
Elmira College women's volleyball got off to a sizzling start to the 2015 campaign this past week. The Soaring Eagles opened the season on the road with a straight sets victory at the Pennsylvania College of Technology on Wednesday, September 9^th. Elmira returned home this past weekend to host the EC Quad Match on Friday and Saturday. The Soaring Eagles opened the two-day event with four-set victories over Morrisville State and Wells College on Friday. The team returned to action the following morning, downing Keuka College in four sets, before outlasting Mount Aloysius College in a thrilling five-setter to cap the perfect 5-0 week. First-year outside hitter Natalie Schieder '19 has gotten off to a fantastic start to her Elmira career, tallying 61 kills to lead the squad through the first week of the season, which includes double-digit kills in each contest over the weekend.
 
Updates on EC Women's Volleyball can be found: Here.
 
Bryant Nets Hat Trick in First Win for Men's Soccer
Michael Bryant '17 has been hot as wildfire through the early part of season for men's soccer. Entering the weekend with a goal in each of the squad's first three games, he doubled his goal output for the year with a hat trick to help lift men's soccer to a 3-1 win over Hilbert College for its first victory of 2015. The hat trick was the first of Bryant's career, while his current four-game scoring streak is the longest the program has witnessed dating back to the 2012 season.
 
Updates on EC Men's Soccer can be found: Here.
 
Women's Soccer Drops a Pair
Elmira women's soccer was back in action with a busy weekend, taking on a pair of non-conference opponents in Plattsburgh State and Bard College. The scoring woes continued for the Soaring Eagles as they were held off the scoreboard, falling 4-0 to Plattsburgh State on Saturday and 1-0 to Bard on Sunday.
 
Updates on EC Women's Soccer can be found: Here.
 
Machika's Hat Trick Helps Field Hockey to First Victory
EC field hockey also tallied its first victory of the season this past week, as the Soaring Eagles took down Keuka College 3-0 on Tuesday, September 8^th. Atu Machika '18 tallied the first goals of her collegiate career, netting the program's first hat trick of the year. The squad played well on Saturday in its Empire 8 opener against Nazareth College, outshooting the Golden Flyers in the contest; however, a three-goal second half by the visitors sent Elmira to a 0-1 start to conference play.
 
Updates on EC Field Hockey can be found: Here.
 
Women's Golf Takes Third at Empire 8 Championships
Wet weather wreaked havoc on the opening day of the Empire 8 Championships, but the weather held on Day Two, as the conference was able to get in a slightly abbreviated championship tournament. EC women's golf took home third place with a cumulative score of 567, while Ithaca College won the title for the sixth consecutive year, carding a 518 as a team. Three Soaring Eagles earned All-Empire 8 recognition. Audrey Clarke '18 carded a cumulative score of 130 on the weekend, which was good for third place overall. Her second round score of 84 was a career-best for a single round, helping her earn First Team All-Empire 8 honors. Giovanna DeLoca '17 and Keira Glasheen '17 both marked identical 141 cumulative scores on the weekend to tie for eighth-place overall and earn Second Team All-Empire 8 recognition.
 
Updates on EC Women's Golf can be found: Here.
 
Women's Tennis Sweeps D'Youville College for First Match Win
After suffering a pair of close defeats on the season's opening weekend, Elmira women's tennis bounced back in a big way this past weekend, sweeping D'Youville College 9-0 on Sunday afternoon. The Soaring Eagles utterly dominated the visitors, winning an astounding 96-of-97 total games played.  Ayaka Yoshino '16 swept in both singles and doubles, moving into a three-way tie with Kayla Fitzgerald '15 and Olivia Garcia '05 for the program record for singles victories, while moving into second place all-time in total career wins. Ellen Plowman '16 moved into sixth place on the all-time single victories list (20), while Megan Fitzgerald '18 and Yoshino both maintained their perfect singles records on the year. Emily Green '18 and Caitlin Dwyer '16 both collected their first career singles victories in the match.
 
Updates on Women's Tennis can be found: Here.
 
Women's Cross Country Places 13^th at Cougar Classic
Women's cross country slogged through cool and rainy conditions on Saturday morning in their season opening meet. The Soaring Eagles placed 13^th of 15 teams at the Cougar Classic, hosted by Misericordia University. Hannah Lundgren '18 led the way for Elmira, completing the 6K course in 27:40.50 to finish 68^th overall and 49^th amongst attached runners at the meet.
 
Updates on Women's Cross Country can be found: Here.
 
Men's Cross Country Makes Program Debut
Men's cross country made its anticipated debut as a varsity program on Saturday morning in the men's portion of the Cougar Classic. The Elmira men had to contend with less than ideal conditions for their first-ever meet, battling rainy and soft conditions on the 6K course. Cody Stinson '16 led the way for the Soaring Eagles, completing the course in 32:28.37 to take 101^st overall, as the squad finished 15^th as a team.
 
Updates on Men's Cross Country can be found: Here.
 
The Week Ahead…
 
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Men's Soccer at RIT, 4:00 p.m.
Women's Tennis at Daemen College, 4:00 p.m.
*Women's Volleyball vs. Ithaca College, 6:00 p.m.
 
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Men's Golf at Keuka College Invitational, 11:00 a.m.
Field Hockey vs. Wilkes University, 4:00 p.m.
 
Friday, September 18, 2015
Women's Soccer at Clarkson University, 4:00 p.m.
 
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Women's Volleyball at College of New Rochelle, 11:00 a.m.
Women's Cross Country at Yellowjacket Invitational, 11:00 a.m.
Men's Cross Country at Yellowjacket Invitational, 11:00 a.m.
Women's Soccer at St. Lawrence University, 12:00 p.m.
*Men's Soccer vs. Stevens Institute of Technology, 1:00 p.m.
*Field Hockey vs. Utica College, 1:00 p.m.
*Women's Tennis vs. St. John Fisher College, 1:00 p.m.
Women's Volleyball vs. Plattsburgh State (in New Rochelle), 1:00 p.m.
*Men's Golf at Empire 8 Championships (Day One)
 
Sunday, September 20, 2015
*Women's Tennis vs. Utica College, 1:00 p.m.
*Men's Golf at Empire 8 Championships (Day Two)
 
Bold Indicates Home Event
* Indicates Conference Matchup