Elmira, NY -- Last week brought with it another busy slate of spring action for Elmira College Athletics. EC baseball, as well as men's and women's lacrosse all jumped head first into Empire 8 Conference play, while men's volleyball headed to Vassar College for the biggest weekend of the regular season. Catch up on what you missed with the latest edition of Soaring Eagles Weekly!
 
Headlines for the Week Ahead
 
Men's Volleyball to Host Juniata in Regular Season Home Finale on Monday
The Elmira College men's volleyball team will play its regular season home finale on Monday evening when it welcomes Juniata College to Speidel Gymnasium for a 6:00 p.m. start.
 
Women's Lacrosse to Host Houghton in Empire 8 Home Opener on Tuesday
While Elmira College women's lacrosse opened Empire 8 play with a pair of road contests last week, the team is set to make its Empire 8 home debut on Tuesday, March 29^th. The Soaring Eagles welcome the Highlanders for a 4:00 p.m. start at Campus Field.
 
Softball Welcomes Hilbert for Season Opener on Wednesday
The Elmira College softball team opens the 2016 season on Wednesday afternoon when it welcomes Hilbert College to Eldridge Park Stadium for a doubleheader. First pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m.
 
Baseball Concludes Homestand Against Hilbert on Thursday
The Elmira College baseball team is set to conclude its early season homestand this coming Thursday when it welcomes Hilbert College for a twin-bill at historic Dunn Field. First pitch with the Hawks is slated for 1:00 p.m.
 
Men's Lacrosse to Recognize Class of 2016 on Saturday
The Elmira College men's lacrosse team has another busy week on tap, as the Soaring Eagles travel to Houghton College for their first E8 road contest at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30^th. The team returns to Campus Field this coming Saturday when it takes on Alfred State at 1:00 p.m. Elmira will recognized its Class of 2016 in a pre-game ceremony.
 
Men's Tennis Welcomes Utica for Empire 8 Opener on Saturday, Faces Nazareth on Sunday
The Elmira College men's tennis team returns to action following a brief break when it welcomes Utica College to the Murray Athletic Center Tennis Dome for the opening weekend of Empire 8 play. Saturday's match is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. The Soaring Eagles complete the weekend double-dip on Sunday when the team heads to Rochester, NY, for a 1:00 p.m. showdown with Nazareth College.
 
Softball Opens Empire 8 Slate With Weekend Doubleheaders at Houghton, Alfred
The Soaring Eagles waste little time jumping into the Empire 8 portion of its schedule, as EC hits the road for a pair of doubleheaders this coming weekend. Elmira faces Houghton College in a doubleheader beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 1^st, while the Purple and Gold face Alfred University in a twin-bill beginning at 1:00 p.m. the following day.
 
Men's Volleyball Concludes Regular Season at Nazareth Tri-Match on Saturday
The Elmira College men's volleyball team is set to conclude the regular season when it hits the court at Nazareth's Kidera Gymnasium for the third time this spring. The Soaring Eagles are set to play a doubleheader, facing Alderson Broaddus University at 1:15 p.m. and Nazareth at 3:30 p.m.
 
Baseball Heads to Utica for Weekend Set
The Elmira College baseball team is set to hit the road for the first time in Empire 8 play this coming weekend when it takes on Utica in a three-game set on Saturday, April 2^nd, and Sunday, April 3^rd. Saturday will be a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m., while Sunday will be a single contest slated to start at 12:00 p.m.
 
Cheerleading Set for Two Competitions This Weekend
Elmira College Cheerleading will get its final tune-up heading into NCA College Nationals this coming weekend when it competes at a pair of events. The Soaring Eagles return to the OnCenter Complex in Syracuse, NY, for the NCA Empire State Classic on Saturday, April 2^nd, while the team competes at the New York State College Showcase in Cortland, NY, on Sunday, April 3^rd.
 
A Look Back at the Week That Was…
 
Henderson, Men's Basketball Takes Home 2016 GEICO Play of the Year
The results are in! After two months of voting and anxiously awaiting the final results, Elmira College got the news it was hoping for on Saturday when it was announced that Justin Henderson '16 took home the 2016 GEICO Player of the Year. The announcement was made to a national television audience on the CBS Best of College Basketball Special. For more information, visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Baseball Splits With Medaille, Swept by St. John Fisher
The Elmira College baseball team made its much-anticipated debut at historic Dunn Field this past week, facing Medaille College in a mid-week doubleheader on Tuesday, before taking on St. John Fisher College in a three-game series this past weekend to open the Empire 8 slate. The Soaring Eagles split the doubleheader with the Mavericks, while they were swept by the Cardinals over the weekend.
 
The EC bats remained hot in the opening game of the week, as the Purple and Gold racked up 18 hits and 14 runs in a dominant 14-2 win over Medaille in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader. The big blow came in fifth inning, as Elmira plated eight runs to break open what had been a tight contest up to that point. Every Elmira starter collected at least one hit, led by Dylan Bellinger '17 who posted a 3-for-5 effort with four RBIs.
 
Unfortunately, defensive miscues and some wildness plagued the Soaring Eagles in the second game of the day, as the Mavericks scored six runs in the first en route to an 11-4 win. Bellinger stayed hot, going 2-for-3 in game two, while Conor Bawiec '18 drove in two RBIs in a 1-for-3 effort.
 
EC faced a difficult test on the weekend when it opened the Empire 8 slate against perennial title contender St. John Fisher College. The Soaring Eagles received excellent outings from both Friday starter Nick Sampogna '18 and Saturday's opening game starter Conor Bawiec '18; however, the bats were stifled by the Cardinals all weekend, as the visitors took all three games.
 
The Purple and Gold struck for an early run to take the lead in Friday's contest. However, the lead was short lived, as the Cardinals tacked on two runs of their own in the third inning. An eighth inning homer by Fisher first baseman Scott Eisenmenger stretched the advantage to 3-1. Elmira had an excellent chance to get back in the game in the bottom of the eighth. Bryce Plante '18 led off the inning by reaching on a hit-by-pitch, while Bellinger and Bawiec followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases with no outs. The Soaring Eagles only mustered to push Plante across, as Fisher escaped the threat with a double play and a ground out.
 
Saturday again got off to a fast start in the opener, as Elmira pushed across a run on a Bawiec infield single in the first inning. However, that would be it for the EC offense, while St. John Fisher capitalized on some shaky defense to tie the game in the third and pull ahead with three runs in the fourth. The game finished 4-1. Saturday's second game was not as close as the Cardinals won 9-0, while Fisher starter Marc Iseneker no-hit the Soaring Eagles through nine dominant innings.
 
For more information on EC Baseball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Griffin Sets All-Time Kills Mark in 1-2 Week for Men's Volleyball
The Elmira College men's volleyball team recognized its Class of 2016 this past Thursday when it welcomed Keuka College for the penultimate match of the regular season at Speidel Gymnasium. One particular Class of 2016 player, Erik Griffin '16, entered the night sitting on the precipice of the program's most prestigious record, needing just one kill to become all-time program leader. He secured that kill on the first play of the match, finishing with a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Mike Ellison '16 also had a huge match with 18 kills, as Elmira won in four sets.
 
Unfortunately, Elmira's hopes to qualify for the United Volleyball Conference playoffs came to an end on Saturday when the team hit the road for its final conference tri-match of the year at Vassar College. The Soaring Eagles needed a victory over the tri-match hosts in order to qualify for conference postseason play, but the Brewers took the match in four sets. EC followed with a straight sets loss to the nation's top-ranked team in SUNY New Paltz to finish with a 2-6 record in UVC play.
 
For more information on EC Men's Volleyball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Lacrosse Blitzed by #13 Nazareth College in Empire 8 Opener
The Elmira College men's lacrosse team had a difficult task on its hands when it took to the Campus Field grass for the first time this spring to face 13^th-ranked Nazareth College in the Empire 8 opener. The Soaring Eagles entered the weekend riding a two-game winning streak, but the Golden Flyers proved too much for the home side in a 17-4 loss.
 
The visitors raced out to a huge lead, tallying nine goals in the opening quarter. TJ Leach '16 netted a goal in the second quarter, but Naz went on to score three more to close out the half with a 13-1 lead. Leach added two more goals in the second half to complete his hat trick, while Skyler Pradelski '16 added a goal for EC. Under siege for the majority of the afternoon, Cameron Prior '17 finished with 17 saves.
 
For more information on EC Men's Lacrosse, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Lacrosse Falls to Ithaca, Utica to Begin Empire 8 Play
The Elmira College women's lacrosse team got off to a rough start to Empire 8 play this past week, falling in road contests at Ithaca College and at Utica College to start the conference slate 0-2.
 
EC kicked off the week with its toughest matchup to-date when it made the short trip up Route 13 on Tuesday to face Ithaca. The Soaring Eagles kept the Bombers off the scoreboard on the team's first possession; however, IC took control of the contest shortly thereafter. The home side scored 15 unanswered goals in the first half en route to a 22-1 win. Moorea Spoljaric '16 scored Elmira's lone goal.
 
The Purple and Gold returned to action on Saturday when it took on the Pioneers. The Soaring Eagles fell into another early hole, as Utica went on a 5-0 run to begin the game. Hayley Baker '19 netted two goals to close the deficit to 6-2, but the Pioneers scored five of the final six tallies in the half to take an 11-3 lead into halftime. Spoljaric scored four goals after the break, while Sarah Hughson '18 pumped in her first goal of the year, but it was not enough in a 16-8 loss. Lindsay Wargo '17 saw her first action of the season in the EC cage, finishing off the final 46 minutes of the contest. The third-year netminder finished with five saves.
 
For more information on EC Women's Lacrosse, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
A Look Ahead…
 
Monday, March 28, 2016
Men's Volleyball vs. Juniata College, 6:00 p.m.
 
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
*Women's Lacrosse vs. Houghton College, 4:00 p.m.
 
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Softball vs. Hilbert College (DH), 3:00 p.m.
*Men's Lacrosse at Houghton College, 7:00 p.m.
 
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Baseball vs. Hilbert College (DH), 1:00 p.m.
 
Friday, April 1, 2016
*Softball at Houghton College (DH), 3:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Men's Lacrosse vs. Alfred State, 1:00 p.m.
*Men's Tennis vs. Utica College, 1:00 p.m.
*Softball at Alfred University, 1:00 p.m.
*Baseball at Utica College (DH), 1:00 p.m.
Men's Volleyball vs. Alderson Broaddus University (at Nazareth College), 1:30 p.m.
Men's Volleyball at Nazareth College, 3:30 p.m.
Cheerleading at NCA Empire State Classic (in Syracuse, NY)
 
Sunday, April 3, 2016
*Baseball at Utica College, 12:00 p.m.
*Men's Tennis at Nazareth College, 1:00 p.m.
Cheerleading at New York State College Showcase (in Cortland, NY)
 
Bold Indicates Home Contests
*Indicates Conference Matchup