Score: No. 11 Elmira College 3 – No. 7 Stevenson 2 [25-19, 26-24, 22-25, 18-25, 15-12]
Score: No. 11 Elmira College 3 – SUNY Poly 0 [25-23, 25-21, 25-19]
Records: Elmira (16-4), Stevenson (13-4), SUNY Poly (11-6)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, NY
 
Elmira, NY -- The 11^th-ranked Elmira College men's volleyball team took down a Top-10 opponent for the second time in as many Saturdays, avenging a loss early this season with a five-set victory over No. 7 Stevenson University in the second day of the 2016 Soaring Eagle Invitational. EC concluded the tournament with a straight-sets victory over SUNY Poly to go a perfect 4-0 on the weekend, extending its winning streak to eight consecutive matches.
 
The first match of the day featured a rematch of national heavyweights, as Elmira sought to avenge at straight-sets loss from earlier this season against seventh-ranked Stevenson University. The Mustangs jumped out to an early advantage in the opening set; however, Elmira rode the strong hitting of Mark Kawecki '17 and stout interior defense by Matthew Buffum '18 to climb back into the set.
 
Buffum sparked a 7-0 run by the Soaring Eagles with back-to-back solo blocks to help EC gain a 19-14 advantage in the opening set. Elmira's interior defense continued to pose a problem for the Mustangs, who struggled to get hits past the stalwart blocking line at the net-front.
 
Andrew Johnson '16 knocked down a thunderous kill from his middle hitting position to help EC maintain the five-point edge. The Purple and Gold saw things out with Ryan McDonough '18 on serve to take the opening set 25-19.
 
Elmira got off to a flying start in the second set against Stevenson, jumping out to an early 8-4 advantage. Carlos Faccio '16 made his impact felt on serve, notching three of service aces as part of a 6-0 run. The net-front defense also continued to be stymieing, as Erik Griffin '16 came up with a huge solo block during the EC run.
 
The Mustangs closed the gap and eventually tied the second set at 22-all, but each time the visitors rallied Griffin had the answer. He scored several key kills to maintain the tenuous EC lead. He broke the 22-22 deadlock with a large kill down the left sideline. He then combined with Buffom for a big block assist to lift the Soaring Eagles to a 24-22 lead.
 
Stevenson battled back to force extra points, but could not contend with the outside duo of Griffin and Mike Ellison '16. Griffin drove a powerful kill down the center, his seventh of the set, to give Elmira a 25-24 lead. Ellison finished the job with a big blast of his own to help the Purple and Gold take the second set 26-24.
 
 Facing a big two-sets-to-none deficit, Stevenson made a strong push in the early portion of the third set in an effort to extend the match. The Mustangs took a 13-10 lead midway through the set, but Elmira turned McDonough's serve to get back in the match. The second-year outside hitter took four straight points, to climb back into the match. Faccio continued to filter the Elmira attack primarily through Griffin, who continued to swing the hot-hand in the match, with three kills during the mini run.
 
The teams continued to trade points down the back stretch of the middle set. With the scored tied a 22-22, the Mustangs put together a three-point run to extend the match to a fourth set.
 
Riding the momentum, Stevenson jumped out to an early advantage in the fourth frame, mostly powered by its defense. The Mustang block proved nearly impenetrable over vast stretches of the set, as the visitors rolled to a 25-18 win to force a decisive fifth set.
 
The teams scratched and clawed for every point in the decisive fifth set. It looked as though Stevenson might complete the comeback climb, after stringing together a three-point run to take a 10-9 advantage in the set. Elmira responded with a three-point run of its own, fueled by the hitting of Griffin. The Purple and Gold stretched the lead to 13-11 when Ellison drove a kill off the Stevenson block. A service error by the Mustangs set the Soaring Eagles up for match-point with Mark Kawecki '17 set to deliver the hammer blow for EC.
 
The third-year hitter sent a rocket serve that skipped off the net; however, the Stevenson libero made a fantastic diving dig to keep the ball alive. The Mustangs whipped it out wide, but Faccio came up with a huge solo block to help EC take the set 15-12 and the match 3-2.
 
Elmira looked a little fatigued in the opening set of the second match on the day against SUNY Poly. The Soaring Eagles trailed for the majority of the opening set, but battled back to level the score with strong net-front defense and clutch serving from Jeremy Best '19. He notched an ace to level the score at 22-all. After the team's traded points, Best set up Buffum and Kawecki for kills to close out a comeback first set win 25-23.
 
The second set began similarly to the first, as the Wildcats again jumped out to an early advantage. However, the Soaring Eagles climbed back into things as the set progressed with strong net-front defense and hitting from Dan Symer '19. The EC rookie tallied three kills, as EC took a 13-12 lead at the midway point of the frame.
 
Elmira continued to lean on its defensive work both at the net-front and on the ground throughout the rest of the second set. Johnson and Symer marked a big block to widen the gap, while McDonough and Kawecki closed out the set with kills. The Soaring Eagles took a commanding two-sets-to-none lead with the 25-21 win in the second frame.
 
With a stranglehold on the match, the Soaring Eagles made no mistake in the third set. A 7-0 run powered by Joe Hewes '19 on serve gave the home side a 13-10 advantage in the frame.
 
Strong serving helped Elmira extend its lead down the stretch. Symer sent a deep cross-court kill to set up match-point, while Buffom and Best combined on block to seal the third set 25-19 and the match in straight-sets.

In His Own Words...
Head Coach Stephen England his team's surge in recent weeks...
"The last two weeks have been quite the ride. Obviously, getting things going with our California trip and then coming back here and playing well, we seem to be hitting our stride. I'm really pleased with the guys performance."

England the victory over No. 7 Stevenson University...
"I'm really proud of the guys for persevering through a tough five-set match against a extremely tough Stevenson team. It felt good to get one back on them from earlier this season. We started off serving really strong, did well getting in two-pass situations, and played really good defense in the first two sets. That third set we kind of got away from our game and they took advantage, getting their tough serve going, which let them back in it. We made a tactical change in the fifth set to get Erik Griffin serving in the backcourt first, getting him off their block kind of neutralized him in that fourth set. Changing up those matchups I thought helped get him going in the fifth."

England on Joe Hewes '19 performance on serve in the fifth set against Stevenson...
"He always has his game face on whenever we call on him. We were not getting a lot of scoring from that spot in the rotation, so we decided to change things up and give Stevenson a different look. Joe is always reliable to put a tough serve in. He has been doing it for us all year. It was just one of those gut decisions and Joe certainly came through in the clutch."

England on the underclassmen putting in strong performances against SUNY Poly...
"I thought Jeremy Best and Dan Symer had really great showings in that second match. People underestimate how important having that kind of quality depth is. Being able to roll out that kind of talent, whether its going against it in practices or being able to step up in meaningful situations in matches is such a luxury to have. Those were the kind of matches that we struggled with in past years because we just didn't have that level of depth when we needed to give guys rest. All of our young guys are so diligent in their preparation and are always ready when their number gets called."

England on carrying the momemtum over to UVC play next weekend...
"UVC play is obviously the most important focus for us right now. We dug ourselves a little bit of hole with that 1-2 start, but I think we have rebounded from that and are playing some good volleyball. It is always a battle in the UVC, but I think we are in a pretty good spot heading into next weekend."
 
Inside the Box Score (Stevenson)

• Elmira edged Stevenson 57-to-48 in kills.
• EC narrowly outhit Stevenson .232-to-.221 in the contest.
• The Soaring Eagles posted seven service aces, while the Mustangs finished with six.
• The Stevenson net-front defense was stymieing, outpacing Elmira 20-to-8 in total blocks.
• EC finished with 55 assists, while the Mustangs finished with 43.
• The Soaring Eagles were excellent on the ground, posting 53 digs to Stevenson's 33.
• Griffin paced all players with 24 kills, notching a double-double by adding 10 digs. He also collected two service aces and two solo blocks.
• Ellison had a strong day opposite of Griffin, finishing with 13 kills on a .345 hitting percentage, while also finishing with a team-high 11 digs to mark a double-double.
• Kawecki posted Elmira's third double-double effort in the match with 10 kills and 10 digs.
• Buffum had a strong hitting day, leading the team with a .400 hitting percentage on a 7K – 1E – 15TA, while also posting two solo blocks and one block assist.
• Faccio finished with 50 assists, four service aces, two solo blocks, one block assist, and five digs.

 
Inside the Box Score (SUNY Poly)

• Elmira outpaced SUNY Poly 34-to-32 in kills.
• Elmira hit .320 as a team in the match.
• The Wildcats held a 6-to-3 edge in service aces.
• EC's net-front defense was strong, finishing with 10 total blocks, while SUNY Poly finished with three.
• The Soaring Eagles had 30 assists compared to the Wildcats' 26.
• Elmira led in digs 27-to-16.
• Symer led the way for the Soaring Eagles with a match-high 10 kills and seven digs. He finished with a .529 hitting percentage on a 10K – 1E – 17TA line.
• Kawecki finished second on the team with nine kills.
• Johnson had a strong match in the middle for the Soaring Eagles, leading all players with a match-high .636 hitting percentage on a 7K – 0E – 11TA line.
• Buffom posted six block assists to lead all players.
• Best finished with 30 assists, adding five block assists and four digs.

 
News and Notes

• With the two victories, Elmira stretches its winning streak to eight consecutive matches.
• Elmira is now 5-1 all-time against SUNY Poly, while today's victory was the program's second all-time against Stevenson.
• The win over the Mustangs was Elmira's second victory over a Top-10 team this season, while the Soaring Eagles are now 3-1 against nationally-ranked competition this season.
• The two wins extend Elmira's program-best start, as EC now sits with a 16-4 record through 20 matches.
• Elmira is now 13-1 when hitting .250-or-better this season, while the team improved to 3-3 when hitting below that mark.
• Griffin has now posted double-digit kill outings in each of his last seven appearances and 11-of-13 matches on the year.
• Faccio has now marked 30-plus assists in 15-of-19 appearances this season thanks to his 50 helper effort against Stevenson.
• In his first extended action of the season, Jeremy Best '19 shined, setting a career high with 30 assists.
• Symer set a new career best with his first double-digit kill effort.
• Buffum's six block assist effort was a season high for the second-year middle.

 
Up Next
The Elmira men will look to continue their surge when they hit the road for their second United Volleyball Conference tri-match of the season at Bard College on Saturday, March 5^th. EC will play nationally-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology in addition to the tri-match hosts.