Elmira College (5-1) vs. Johnson & Wales University (2-5)
Elmira College (5-1) vs. Medaille College (1-2)
Friday, February 5, 2016 | 4:00 & 6:00 P.M. | Kidera Gymnasium – Rochester, NY
 
Elmira College (5-1) vs. Hilbert College (3-1)
Elmira College (5-1) vs. D'Youville College (2-3)
Saturday, February 6, 2016 | 11:00 A.M. & 1:00 P.M. | Kidera Gymnasium – Rochester, NY
 
Live Coverage Tournament Page
 
Elmira, NY -- The ninth-ranked Elmira College men's volleyball team heads to Rochester, NY, for the Golden Flyer Invitational, hosted by United Volleyball Conference rival Nazareth College on Friday, February 5^th, and Saturday, February 6^th. The Soaring Eagles will play dual matches on both days, facing Johnson & Wales University and Medaille College on Friday, while facing Hilbert College and D'Youville College on Saturday.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira hit the road for the first time this season last weekend when it traveled to Maryland for the Stevenson Invitational. The Soaring Eagles got off to a flying start to the tournament with a straight-sets victory over Medaille College on the first day. EC split a pair of matches during the second day of the invitational, outlasting Thiel College in a five-set thriller, before falling to tournament-host Stevenson in straight sets to cap the event. Erik Griffin '16 had a big weekend leading the Elmira attack, combining for 40 kills over the three matches.
 
Swinging the Hot Hand
Reigning AVCA Second Team All-American Erik Griffin '16 has gotten off to a fantastic start to his senior campaign. The high-flying outside hitter followed up a strong showing at EC's home invitational with a strong three matches at the Stevenson Invitational. He finished with 40 kills over the two-day event. Griffin was at his very best in the match against Thiel, posting 20 kills without a single error on 26 total attacks. His .769 hitting percentage set a new single-match program record. Through the first three weeks of the season, the Victor, NY, native leads the UVC with a 3.58 kills per set average.
 
Faccio is Aces
Griffin was not the only Elmira player to set a new program record in the match against the Tomcats last weekend. Senior Carlos Faccio '16 also etched his name in EC's record book, recording an incredible eight service aces to help the Purple and Gold outlast Thiel in five sets. The setter from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, is tied with Steven Woessner of SUNY New Paltz for a UVC-high 14 service aces, while he is level with Tim Ferriter of Stevens Institute of Technology with a 0.70 aces per set average on the year.
 
Clutch in Crunch Time
Trailing Thiel two-sets to one on Saturday, Elmira rallied to take the fourth, forcing a decisive fifth and final set. The Soaring Eagles dominated the final frame, taking it by a final score of 15-3. The comeback lifted EC's record to 2-0 in matches that have gone the distance this season. Elmira is now 19-17 all-time in matches that have gone five sets.
 
The Competition/All-Time Series
Johnson & Wales
All-Time Series: Friday's match will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Team Leaders: Kills – Brendan Barker (74); Assists – Cameron Ponce (194); Blocks – Donovan Kelley (25)
 
Medaille College
All-Time Series: EC leads 7-5. (most recent match: EC win 1/29/16, 3-0)
Team Leaders: Kills – Nate Schneider (16); Assists – Matt Dempsey (30); Blocks – Pete McKelvey (7)
 
Hilbert College
All-Time Series: EC leads 6-0. (most recent match: EC win 3/26/14, 3-1)
Team Leaders: Kills – Michael Podgorny (33); Assists – Adam Heftka (99); Blocks – Brett Kane & Adam Heftka (5)
 
D'Youville College
All-Time Series: EC leads 4-3. (most recent match: EC win 4/3/15, 3-0)
Team Leaders: Kills – Brock Tetreault (63); Assists – Chris Busha (169); Blocks – Matt Loos (16)
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira opens UVC play when it hosts Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New York University in a tri-match at Speidel Gymnasium on Saturday, February 13^th. The Soaring Eagles take on MIT at 11:00 a.m., while they wrap the day against NYU at 5:00 p.m.