Score: Elmira College 3, University of Maine at Fort Kent 1 [25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-13]
Score: SUNY Potsdam 3, Elmira College 0 [25-22, 25-13, 25-20]
Records: Elmira (15-10), Maine Fort Kent (20-5), Potsdam (11-11)
Location: Canton, N.Y. -- Roos House
 
CANTON, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team split its final two matches at the Roos Classic, hosted by SUNY Canton, on Sunday afternoon. EC bested the University of Maine at Fort Kent by a 3-1 final score [25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-13] in the first contest of the day, before falling to SUNY Potsdam [25-22, 25-13, 25-20] in straight sets at the Roos House in Canton, New York.

The Soaring Eagles' opening match today against the Maine Fort Kent was a battle to start, as the two teams traded 25-22 set wins in the first and second sets. The third set was critical, as EC's 25-22 win put them up 2-1 in the non-conference tilt and gave them momentum heading into the fourth. Riding that energy gained in the third, Elmira came out and dominated in the fourth set, as they bested the Bengals by a 25-13 final score to seal the win.

In the opening bout, the Soaring Eagles outhit Maine Fort Kent, .226-to-.121. This included blazing .367 and .250 hitting percentages in the first and fourth sets, respectively. Helping fuel this efficient offense was EC's passing ability. In the contest, Elmira tallied 51 assists, while the Bengals finished with just 32. The Purple and Gold also did a fantastic job on the serve, as it tallied 11 aces, compared to Maine Fort Kent's five.

Individually, junior setter Taylor Kaznowski '19 orchestrated the Soaring Eagles' offense, as she was responsible for 46 of EC's 51 helpers. The main recipients of Kaznowski's passing were Natalie Schieder '19 and Savannah Terry '21, who led Elmira with 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Terry was fantastic in the bout, as her 14 kills are a career high and her .619 attack percentage paced all players. For Schieder, she added 13 digs to her 15 kills for her 13th double-double of the season.

Defensively, the Soaring Eagles saw a balanced effort from the whole team, as five players recorded double-digit digs. Junior defensive specialist Rachel Katzenberger '19 led EC with 16 digs. She was closely followed by Kasey Campbell '19 and Schieder, who both recorded 13 digs in the bout. Tiara John '19 (12) and Kaznowski (11) rounded out Elmira's double-digit dig producers.

The second match of the day against SUNY Potsdam was very different from the first, as the Bears were able to stay ahead of the Soaring Eagles for most of the contest. Potsdam was the more efficient team on the day, as it outhit the Purple and Gold, .242-to-.097. Potsdam also held leads in in the matchup in aces, 8-to-3, and blocks, 9-to-4. Elmira's lone advantage in the bout was in digs, as it finished with 57, while the Bears recorded 43.

In the bout, Elmira was led by the two-way performance of Schieder, as she tallied her 14th double-double of the season with 12 kills and 11 digs. Freshman Lauren Smith '21 also made her presence known on the offensive side of the court, as she finished second on the team six kills in addition to six digs. Both Smith and Schieder were recipients of Kaznowski's passing, as she tallied 28 of EC's 30 assists.

On defense, Katzenberger had her third straight outstanding performance. The product of High Bridge, New Jersey, tallied a match-high 19 digs in the bout, her third consecutive match with at least 16 digs. Terry chipped in a team-leading two blocks in the contest.
 
News and Notes

• With a 1-1 record on the day, Elmira's overall record stands at 15-10.
• The loss against the Bears ends a four-match win streak for the Purple and Gold. 
• The Soaring Eagles' loss to the Bears is just their second neutral site setback of the season.
• EC's 58 kills against Maine Fort Kent are the second-most that the team has posted this year.
• Potsdam's nine blocks in the second match today are the second-most that an Elmira opponent has recorded.
• Schieder posted 27 kills on the day, which gives her 988 in her illustrious career, which means that she is just 12 shy of reaching the 1,000-kill milestone.
• Schieder's pair of double-doubles on the day gives her a team-leading 14 this year.
• Terry's 14 kills in the match against the Bengals are a new season high for the rookie and her .619 attack percentage is the best that she has had in a contest where she has attempted at least 20 total attacks.
• Kaznowski's double-double in the first match of the day was her 10th in the 2017 campaign.
• Katzenberger's 19 digs against the Bears are the second-most that she has tallied this season, trailing only her 25-dig outing against SUNY Canton yesterday.
• Katzenberger has posted at least 16 digs in three straight contests.
• John's 12 digs and 10 kills against Maine Fort Kent was her fourth double-double of 2017.

 
Up Next
The EC women will return to action on Thursday, October 19, when they challenge Misericordia University at 7:00 p.m. The non-conference bout will take place at Speidel Gymnasium and will serve as Elmira's Class of 2018 Recognition Day.