ELMIRA N.Y -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team looks to get off to a hot start in Empire 8 Conference action, when the Soaring Eagles face St. John Fisher College and Utica College in the Empire 8 Crossover at Speidel Gymnasium on Saturday, September 24th, at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively.  
 
LAST TIME OUT: Elmira dropped a tough match in straight sets against a strong Ithaca College team in its Empire 8 Conference opener. The Bombers were able to control the first two sets, winning both with identical scores of 25-12. The Soaring Eagles made things interesting in the third set as both teams traded points, until Ithaca was able to pull away and win the set, 25-23. Fourth-year middle blocker, Alicia Day '17, had a strong outing, posting a season-high hitting percentage (.429).   
 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS: Utica has struggled to start the season, owning a record of 4-11 and a loss in their lone E8 game of the season. The Pioneers most recent decision was a hard-fought loss to Hartwick College in the program's conference opener. UC owned a 2-0 lead in the match, until the Hawks were able to sweep the next three sets and pick up the victory. The Pioneers are winless against teams over .500 so far this season and have struggled on the road, posting no wins away from the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium. Utica's strong suit this season has been on the defensive end. Nicole Herringshaw leads UC and ranks second in the E8 in blocks with 58 and Leah Octave is fourth in digs with 197.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. UTICA: The Soaring Eagles have dominated the all-time series against the Pioneers with a record of 21-1. The Purple and Gold won the first 18 matches in the series, with the lone loss coming in 2014. EC's control of the series can also be found in the score of its most recent matchups against UC, as Elmira has won seven out of its last eight contests in straight sets. The Purple and Gold have won the last two matchups, winning both on the road.
 
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: The Cardinals come into this weekend's contest with a 4-9 record, with their most recent matchup being a 3-1 victory over D'Youville College in the St. John Fisher Invitational. The Cardinals went 1-3 in their own tournament, winning the final match against D'Youville. Fisher's win over the struggling Spartans came in four sets: 25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17.  Fisher owns one victory over a .500 team in the season, a 3-0 victory over SUNY Poly on September 10th. Additionally, St. John Fisher has struggled on the road this season; the Cardinals are 0-3 in the season away from Pittsford, New York. The Cardinals have received some good individual performances early in the season, as Phoebe Kane leads the conference in aces (34) and Anna Marcy leads in kills (180). 

SERIES HISTORY VS. ST. JOHN FISHER: EC has not fared as well against Fisher, as the Cardinals lead the all-time series, 41-17. Elmira have performed better in the recent matchups, winning seven of the last 10, including a 3-1 victory last season. In last season's tilt, Taylor Kaznowski '19 and Natalie Schieder '19 both recorded their seventh double-doubles of the year against the Cardinals, and look to continue that success against their E8 foe again in 2016.
 
UP NEXT: The Purple and Gold look to extend their win streak over SUNY Delhi to three consecutive meetings, when EC travels to Delhi, New York, in a non-conference tilt on Tuesday, September 27th, at 6:00 p.m.