Score: Elmira College 3, Thiel College 2 [22-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-15, 15-3]
Score: Stevenson University 3, Elmira College 0 [25-13, 25-22, 25-14]
Records: Elmira (5-1), Thiel (0-4), Stevenson (3-2)
Location: Owings Mills Gymnasium – Owings Mills, MD
 
Owings Mills, MD -- 10th-ranked Elmira College men's volleyball concluded the final day of competition at the Stevenson Invitational by splitting a pair of matches. Elmira rallied from a 2-sets-to-1 deficit to claim a five-set win over Thiel College in the opening match, before suffering its first loss of the year to Stevenson, 3-0.
 
Efforts from Erik Griffin '16 and Carlos Faccio '16 highlighted the day, as the two seniors etched their names into the EC record books. In the match against Thiel, Griffin was outstanding from the floor, hitting a career-high and record-setting .769 (20-0-26).
 
In the same match, Faccio broke a three-year old single-match record with eight aces. Faccio takes over the top spot from former record holder, and AVCA All-American, Michael Vellutato '14, who oddly enough was also a setter.

Elmira had to rally from a 2-1 deficit in the opening match against the Tomcats of Thiel. The Soaring Eagles saw the Tomcats win four straight points in the later stages of the first set to claim a 1-0 lead, but EC responded nicely with a 25-17 win in the second. Then in the third set, Thiel took an early six-point lead, one they would never relinquish en route to a 25-19 set score.
 
The Soaring Eagles rallied in a big way in the fourth with one of their most lopsided sets of the season. EC downed Thiel 25-15 in the fourth, Elmira's second-largest margin of victory of the 2016 campaign. The key in the fourth was a 5-0 run midway through the set by Elmira, which gave the Purple and Gold a commanding seven-point lead that turned into a 10-point win.
 
Elmira carried its momentum from the fourth into the fifth, as the Soaring Eagles rolled to a 15-3 win. A 10-0 run early in the set gave the Purple and Gold the edge. During that run, Faccio produced five of his record-setting eight aces.
 
The nightcap against Stevenson was most definitely a challenging one for Elmira. Coming off a thrilling five-set win over Thiel, the Soaring Eagles struggled to find the same success, as Elmira produced its second-highest amount of hitting errors (25). Elmira's struggles from the floor, along with Stevenson's superb play, resulted in a 3-0 win for the Mustangs. 
 
Inside the Box Score (Thiel)

• Elmira was just a shade under .300 from the floor, as EC hit .297 (56-18-128).
• Thiel produced a stat line of 43-17-113 for a hitting percentage of .230.
• Elmira's hitting peaked in the fifth set at .833; EC also hit .450 in the fourth.
• The Soaring Eagles collectively served up 14 aces compared to Thiel's four.
• Digs were dead-even between the teams at 43 apiece.
• EC assisted on 50 of its kills, while Thiel assisted on 40.
• Elmira had a pair of players log double-digit kills.
• Griffin led the charge with a season-high 20 kills, while McDonough chipped in 12.
• Griffin also hit a staggering .769 from the floor, setting a new program record (minimum of 12 kills).
• Faccio produced a career-high eight aces and assisted on 31 kills.
• Colby Upham '19 led the defensive efforts on the ground with 10 digs.
• Dylan Kuhn '16 and Griffin shared the team lead in blocks with four apiece.

 
Inside the Box Score (Stevenson)

• Elmira struggled to find its rhythm from the floor, hitting -.053 on a 21-25-75 stat line.
• Stevenson's attack percentage stood at .319 through three sets.
• The Mustangs produced seven aces compared to Elmira's two, both coming from Mike Ellison '16.
• Griffin logged a team-high eight kills, which doubled-up the next closest Soaring Eagle.
• Faccio finished with 17 assists and a team-leading two blocks.
• Griffin also produced a team-high six digs.

 
News and Notes

• Prior to its loss to Stevenson, Elmira had won its first five games of the 2016 season.
• The loss to Stevenson marks EC's first loss of the year.
• EC has two five-set wins under its belt in 2016.
• Elmira concludes play at the Stevenson Invitational with a 2-1 record.
• The Soaring Eagles served up a season-high 14 aces against Thiel, just one shy of tying the program record.
• EC's -.053 hitting percentage against Stevenson is a season low.
• Griffin's .769 attack percentage in the Thiel match sets a new EC single-match record.
• Griffin's 20 kills is the first 20-kill effort by an Elmira player this season.
• Faccio's eight service aces against Thiel broke EC's single-match record, which was previously held by setter Michael Vellutato '14 in 2013.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles are back in action next weekend, when Elmira travels to compete in the Purple & Gold Invitational, hosted by Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. Elmira opens play on Friday, February 5th against Johnson & Wales University at 4:00 p.m.