Score: St. John Fisher College 3, Elmira 0 [25-20, 25-23, 25-14]
Score: Elmira College 3, Utica College 1 [25-15, 25-18, 23-25, 25-13]
Records: Elmira (3-3, 1-2 E8), St. John Fisher (6-9, 2-0 E8), Utica (4-13, 0-3 E8)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. -- Speidel Gymnasium

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team split its Empire 8 Conference Crossover and picked up its first conference win of the season with a four-set victory over Utica College Saturday at Speidel Gymnasium.

EC' offense was firing on all cylinders against the Pioneers, as the Soaring Eagles posted a season-best .247 hitting percentage with 63 kills, just two shy of the season high recorded in a five-set victory over Pennsylvania College of Technology on September 15th.

The Purple and Gold registered no fewer than 15 kills in any of the four sets in the nightcap against Utica. After committing a match-worst 10 attacking errors in the third set, which allowed Utica to capture a 25-23 win, EC crushed the ball en route to a lopsided 25-13 win in the fourth.

Second-year standout Natalie Schieder '19 and senior middle blocker Alicia Day '17 provided the bulk of the work on the offensive end, as the duo combined for 38 of the team's kills. Schieder recorded her second-highest career total with 25 kills while maintaining a .309 attacking percentage. In the middle, the 6-foot 2-inch Day dropped a career-high 13 kills without committing an error, which resulted in a whopping .684 percentage.

EC also excelled on the serve, as the Soaring Eagles matched their season high with 13 aces. Kelsey Ray '17 tossed up a trio of aces as part of a five-point run in the opening set, which vaulted Elmira into a sizable 15-5 lead at the time. She then served two more in the fourth set to help EC overcome what was initially a 5-0 deficit, bringing her match total to a career-high seven.

In Saturday's opener, St. John Fisher College swept the Purple and Gold in straight sets. Despite the loss, Elmira was remaining competitive throughout the first two sets, falling 25-20 and 25-23. The Cardinals, however, cruised to close the match in the third by hitting a match-best .444.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Rhonda Faunce on her team's ability to rebound in the fourth set against Utica…
"They were like, 'Alright, enough is enough,' and they finally turned up the gas a little bit. We were super proficient in the fourth set with 15 kills and only two errors. It would be great if we can continue to hit like that."

Faunce on the breakout performance from Day…
"We were able to pass the ball a little bit better in that match, which allows us to get her the ball more. I think once she started feeling good, her confidence grew. It's extremely important for us to not only get offensive production out of our middles and spread the ball around like we did today."

Faunce on her team's mindset following Elmira's first Empire 8 win of the season…
"I think it gives us some piece of mind that we're still right in the hunt [for a conference tournament berth]. There are some teams that we feel we can beat, and if we string a few together, who knows how far we can go."

Inside the Box (St. John Fisher)

• Fisher outhit Elmira with a .294 attacking percentage and 43 kills; EC hit at a 0.73 rate with 25 kills.
• The Cardinals registered a dozen service aces, as compared to five from the Soaring Eagles.
• Schieder picked up a team-best four aces, 11 kills and 16 digs.
• Kasey Campbell '19 was second on the team with 13 digs.
• Ray had seven kills on 10 attempts, resulting in an attack percentage of .500.
• Anna Marcy and Katie Mazierski led SJFC with 14 and 12 kills, respectively.
• Both also had double-doubles, as Marcy registered 13 digs and Mazierski had 11.

Inside the Box (Utica)

• Elmira posted a .247 attacking percentage, more than double that of Utica (.122).
• EC finished with a 13-to-3 advantage in aces.
• Schieder finished with a match-high 25 kills for the Soaring Eagles.
• Day led EC with a .684 attacking percentage, as she finished with 13 kills and no errors.
• Ray served a match- and career-high seven aces.
• Campbell led the team with 17 digs, followed by Rachel Katzenberger '19 with 15.
• Taylor Kaznowski '19 earned 55 assists.
• Brandi Blaszak paced the Pioneers with 11 kills and a .407 attacking percentage.

News and Notes

• Elmira kept its record even at .500 at 3-3 following the Saturday split.
• EC's win over Utica was its first of the year.
• Day's 13 kills against the Pioneers marked a new career high.
• With seven  aces in the victory over Utica, Ray recorded a new career high.
• Schieder now has four double-doubles through the first six matches of 2016.
• Campbell equaled her season high with 17 digs in the victory.
• With 205 assists on the season, Kaznowski became the 10th Soaring Eagle in program history to surpass the 1,000 career assist mark. She ranks 10th all-time with 1,008 assists through the first 38 matches of her collegiate career.

Up Next
The Elmira women take a break from conference play with a midweek road trip to Dehli, New York, to face the Broncos of SUNY-Dehli on Tuesday, September 27th, at 6:00 p.m.