Score: Alderson Broaddus 3 – Elmira 2 (25-20, 19-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-8)
Score: Nazareth 3 – Elmira 1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-22)
Records: Elmira (21-11), Alderson Broaddus (10-11), Nazareth (25-8)
Location: Kidera Gymnasium – Rochester, NY
 
Rochester, NY -- The 10^th ranked Elmira College men's volleyball team had tough finish to its 2016 campaign, dropping both contests in its final tri-match of the season in Rochester, NY. The Soaring Eagles fell in a five-setter to Alderson Broaddus University in the opening match of the day, while tri-match host Nazareth College took the second match in four sets.
 
Elmira got off to a cold hitting start in the opening match of the day against a scrappy Alderson Broaddus squad. EC swung at just a .125 clip in the opening set, posting just nine kills and six attacking errors. The Battlers put together a 7-3 run to take control of the frame with the set tied at 14-all. They went on to take the set 25-20.
 
Elmira rallied in the second frame, posting 14 kills in the set to even the match at 1-1. Six different Soaring Eagles posted a kill in the set, led by Erik Griffin '16, who posted four of his team-high 18 in the frame. EC took the set 25-19.
 
The Battlers responded in the back-and-forth match, gaining a leg up with a 25-20 win in set three. While the Soaring Eagles posted a solid .320 hitting percentage in the third, the swings cooled in the waning moments of the frame. Alderson Broaddus took four of the final five points in the set, three by way of attacking errors.
 
The Purple and Gold came through in the clutch during the fourth set. Trailing 22-21 late in the fourth, the Soaring Eagles closed the set on a 4-0 run to push the match to a decisive fifth set. Andrew Johnson '16 and Mike Ellison '16 picked up huge kills during the run, while Dylan Kuhn '16 notched a service ace in closing the set out on serve.
 
Unfortunately, EC was unable to get things going in the decisive frame. Alderson Broaddus put together a 6-0 run midway through the set to grab a stranglehold on the set.
 
The Soaring Eagles bounced back with a strong beginning to the second match of the day against Nazareth. Elmira put together its finest set of the day, hitting .389 with 11 kills over four errors in just 18 total attacks to take the first 25-22. Griffin (five kills) and Ellison (four kills, three service aces) led the way for EC.
 
The momentum did not hold for Elmira, as the nationally-ranked Golden Flyers began to find their form as the match continued. While the Soaring Eagles continued to hit well, the attack could not keep pace with Nazareth. The home side took the next three sets to win the match.
 
Inside the Box Score (Alderson Broaddus)

• Alderson Broaddus held a narrow .232-to-.220 edge in hitting percentage.
• The Battlers held a slim 51-to-50 advantage in kills.
• Alderson Broaddus also held an advantage on serve, notching 11 service aces compared to six for the Soaring Eagles.
• Elmira held a 13-to-11 advantage in total blocks.
• EC also posted an advantage in ground defense with 45 digs compared to 38 for Alderson Broaddus.
• Griffin posted a .282 hitting percentage on a final line of 18K – 7E – 39 TA. He completed a double-double with 11 digs, while he also collected one solo block and three block assists.
• Ellison posted Elmira's other double-double performance, posting 13 kills and a team-leading 13 digs. He also added a team-high three solo blocks.
• Kuhn added eight kills, three block assists, and one solo block.
• Johnson was Elmira's top hitter at .444, posting five kills over one error on nine total attacks. He added three block assists.
• Jeremy Best '19 finished with 40 assists, two solo blocks, and two block assists.

 
Inside the Box Score (Nazareth)

• Nazareth held a .297-to-.255 advantage in overall hitting percentage in the match.
• Elmira held a 49-to-48 edge in kills.
• Serving was decidedly in favor of the Golden Flyers, as they collected 10 service aces compared to Elmira's five.
• Both teams finished with seven total blocks.
• The Soaring Eagles held a 30-to-23 advantage in digs.
• Griffin again led the way for the Soaring Eagles with 18 kills on a .275 hitting percentage. He also chipped in a team-best seven digs.
• Mark Kawecki '17 had a strong showing in the second match of the day, finishing with 13 kills on a .292 hitting percentage.
• Ellison added 11 kills and four digs.
• Kuhn finished with six kills, while he added one solo block and four block assists.
• Best finished with 27 assists, while Adam Dake '19 added 15 helpers.

 
News and Notes

• Elmira concludes the season with an overall record of 21-11.
• Elmira's 21 wins are the third-most in program history.
• Despite missing several weeks of action, Griffin finishes the season with 405 kills, the third-best single-season mark in program history. He concludes his EC career with 1,539 career kills.
• Griffin finishes his career with 85 matches with 10-plus kills, breaking the former record of 83 set by Ryan Gelenitis '14.
• Ellison finished the season with 341 kills, which goes down as the eighth-best single-season mark in program history. He finishes his career third on the program's all-time list with 1,095 career kills.
• Kawecki and Kuhn both finish with career-best kill marks of 255 and 167, respectively.
• Kuhn concludes his career fourth on the program's all-time list with 593 career kills.
• Kuhn finishes his career just one total block shy of tying the all-time program record set by Michael Vellutato '14. Kuhn concludes his career with 310 total blocks, while Vellutato sits at 311.
• Johnson finishes fourth all-time in career total blocks with 218.