Score: Elmira College 3, Rutgers University-Newark 2 (22-25, 25-20, 25-21,  11-25, 15-8)
Records: Elmira (1-1), Rutgers-Newark (0-2)
Location: Newark, N.J. - The Golden Dome

NEWARK, N.J. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team opened the Golden Dome Invitational, hosted by Rutgers University-Newark, with a 3-2 upset victory over the host Scarlet Raiders – the 11th-ranked team in NCAA Division III – on the road Friday night.

The victory marks many firsts in 2017: the first win of the young season, the first triumph over the Scarlet Raiders in the first-ever meeting between the two programs, and the first coaching victory for first-year bench boss Daniel Miranda.

Although EC hit an admirable .303 in the opening set, the Soaring Eagles were edged, 25-22, and began the match down by one. However, with the second set knotted at 9-all, Elmira went on a momentous run to take a lead by as many as seven points, led by Mark Kawecki '17 and Ryan McDonough '18. Five of Kawecki's six kills in the stanza came after the tie, including back-to-back kills to extend the lead to 18-12. McDonough was responsible for the final three points of the set with a trio of kills.

The Soaring Eagles then took a two-sets-to-one lead following a 25-21 triumph in the third. After the Scarlet Raiders whittled an EC advantage down to a single point, 21-20, Miranda called a timeout to help his team regain its composure. It was a move that paid off, as a trio of attacking errors by Rutgers-Newark and a block by Matthew Buffum '18 and Dan Symer '19 allowed EC to capture the set.

The Scarlet Raiders responded with their best offensive set of the night after subpar performances in the second and third. A .471 team attack percentage, combined with a handful of service and reception errors by Elmira, allowed the home team to cruise to the most lopsided set score of the match, 25-11.

In the fifth, EC hit at an outstanding rate of .667 with eight kills and no attack errors. Each time the Scarlet Raiders looked to climb back into the set, the Soaring Eagles answered with a momentum-shifting play. Leading 10-8, Elmira captured five unanswered points to seal the victory, with three of those points coming by way to kills from Buffum.

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Daniel Miranda on getting the first win of the season against a nationally-ranked opponent...
"It's honestly just a great feeling to know the work that the boys have put in in these first couple of weeks has really begun to show on the court. The guys stepped up in a major way, making plays they struggled with in the previous match."

Coach Miranda on his team's effort to respond from the first-set loss...
"It goes to show how driven they are to earn every point and sometimes getting humbled is exactly what they to push themselves forward."

Coach Miranda on the improvement's the team showed offensively from the season-opening loss to Marymount...
"Jeremy did a great job distributing the ball and balancing out our offense. We established our middles, which helped our pin swings unload. Mark earned crucial points for us tonight on the right side at perfect, pivotal moments."

Coach Miranda on what Elmira needs to do to defeat another ranked team, No. 15 Juniata College, on Saturday...
"Having our passers own the court on serve-receive and siding out consistently. This was a major improvement from our last match and we hope to keep progressing in this aspect of our game."

Turning Point
With McDonough serving to begin the decisive set, Elmira jumped ahead by scoring the first three points. Although small, that advantage was crucial down the stretch, as the Scarlet Raiders were never able to overcome the deficit. The Soaring Eagles began the fifth with a loud first point, as Jeremy Best '19  furiously spiked down a free ball that crossed back over onto the EC side on the opening serve. Following an attack error by Rutgers-Newark, McDonough tossed up his second ace of the night, one that visibly motivated the Purple and Gold and gave them the confidence to close out the match on top.

Inside the Box Score

• Elmira finished with a .258 hitting percentage, while Rutgers-Newark attacked at a .187 clip.
• In the fifth set, EC registered eight kills without an error for a match-best .667 attack percentage.
• The Soaring Eagles held a slim advantage in aces, 7-to-6, although the Scarlet Raiders had a 9-to-7 advantage in total blocks.
• Rutgers-Newark also had more digs, 41-to-39.
• Kawecki led all players with a match-high 15 kills.
• McDonough and Buffum each finished with 13 kills.
• McDonough added 10 digs for a double-double.
• Buffum had a team-leading .435 attack percentage.
• Ryan Branigan '19 picked up team-best 13 digs.
• Best assisted on 45 of EC's 54 kills.
• Justin Sandy led the Scarlet Raiders with 11 kills.
• Rugters-Newark's Jake Connors finished with a match-high 17 digs.
• Jalen Sorrell had 10 kills without committing an offensive error, equaling a .500 attack percentage.

News and Notes

• Elmira improved to 1-1 on the young season with the five-set win.
• The victory is the first at the helm of the Soaring Eagles for first-year head coach Daniel Miranda.
• EC is now 1-0 all-time against Rutgers-Newark.
• It is the first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since EC defeated then-No. 7 Stevenson University, 3-2, on February 27, 2016.
• As a team, EC's attack percentage improved from .174 to .258 from the season-opening loss vs. Marymount on January 13th.
• Buffum tied his previous career best with 13 kills.
• Kawecki's 15 kills are a season high.
• McDonough recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career.
• Best's 45 assists marks the second-highest single-match total of his career.
• Branigan finished with double-digit digs for the third time in his career.

Up Next
Elmira will look for a second-straight victory over a nationally-ranked foe on Saturday, January 21st, when the Soaring Eagles face No. 15-ranked Juniata College at 11:00 a.m. in the first of two matches in the second day of the Golden Dome Invitational.