Score: Elmira College 3, Wells College 2 [25-22, 15-25, 21-25, 25-19, 17-15]
Records: Elmira (11-8), Wells (11-9)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. -- Speidel Gymnasium

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- An exciting fifth-set rally by the Elmira College women's volleyball team propelled the Soaring Eagles past Wells College by a 3-2 [25-22, 15-25, 21-25, 25-19, 17-15] final score on Wednesday evening at Speidel Gymnasium.

In the fifth set, the Express quickly stormed out to a four-point lead, 5-1, after the first six points. From that moment, the teams traded points until the score sat at 8-5 in favor of Wells. The Express added to their lead by taking the next four points, ballooning the road team's advantage to seven, 12-5.

Facing the seven-point hole, the Soaring Eagles needed an answer and answer they did. The comeback started with a 4-0 run that that began with a Savannah Terry '21 kill that was assisted by Taylor Kaznowski '19. A service ace by Lauren Smith '21 and a pair of kills by Natalie Schieder '19 highlighted the surge. With the deficit cut to just two points, 12-10, EC was back in the match. Elmira tied the score at 13-all four points later with another 3-0 run.

The teams traded points until the score sat tied at 15-15 after a Schieder kill. A Schieder ace the following point gave the Soaring Eagles their first lead of the fifth set, 16-15. A Tiara John '19 kill from Kaznowski ended the comeback and sealed the 3-2 victory for the Purple and Gold.

The contest was hard fought throughout, as the Express slightly outhit the Soaring Eagles .122-to-.043. EC made up for this hitting difference with its solid service game, as it posted eight aces to Wells' five.

Individually, junior outside hitter Schieder led the way for Elmira, as she tallied match highs in both digs (28) and kills (16). The Alden, New York, native's double-double is her second straight and her team-leading ninth of the year. Fellow junior Kaznowski also had a fantastic contest, as she tallied a match-high 44 assists, her third consecutive 40-assists performance, to go along with 13 digs.

Junior middle blocker Karina Hastings '19 also posted her strongest stat line of the season in today's match. The Windsor, New York, native finished the day with nine kills and a .571 attack percentage, the former is a career high and the latter ties a career high.

The match started off tightly contested, as the Soaring Eagles fought their way to a close 25-22 win in the first set. The second and third sets swung in the favor of the road team, as Wells recorded 25-15 and 25-21 victories to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the fourth set, Elmira stormed out to an early 8-3 advantage after the first 11 points. Schieder led the charge with a team-high three kills in the stretch. The Express fought back by reeling off a 6-3 run to cut the EC lead to just two points, 11-9. The Purple and Gold expanded the advantage back to eight points, 18-10, after a 7-1 run. Despite a late rally by Wells, EC held strong to take the set, 25-19, which forced the decisive fifth set.
 
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Rhonda Faunce on the team's comeback late in the fifth set…
"I am not sure how it happened. We talk about the fact that we always have to believe. I am super proud that the team did not give up. It was one of the first matches that I saw them believe that they could come back."

Coach Faunce on her team's performance in the victory tonight…
"Natalie Schieder is one of our go-to players. She did some good things tonight, but I believe that she could have played even better. She helped us get to victory. Karina Hastings had her best performance of the season tonight. Her start helped her have a really good performance."

Coach Faunce on what she told her team in a crucial timeout during the fifth set…
"I just told the team that we have to believe. The more momentum that one side gets the tighter the other side gets. It was exciting to see them not get rattled and to pull the victory out."

News and Notes

• With the win tonight, Elmira improves to 11-8 on the season and to 4-4 at Speidel Gymnasium.
• EC's record in non-conference play stands at 11-4.
• The Soaring Eagles' .043 attack percentage is the lowest that it has hit in a win this year.
• Elmira's 85 digs tonight are its third-highest total of the season.
• Today's match was EC's second straight five-set contest.
• On the season, the Soaring Eagles are 2-1 in five-set bouts.
• Schieder's 28 digs are a new career high for the junior.
• The last Soaring Eagle to tally at least 28 digs was Kelsey Ross '16, who recorded 36 in a four-set match against Utica College on November 27, 2014.
• Schieder's double-double is her team-leading ninth of the year.
• Hastings' nine kills are a new career high and her .571 hitting percentage tied a career high for the junior.
• Kaznowski has posted at least 40 assists in the last three matches and in four of the last five.
• Kaznowski's double-double is her seventh of the season.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will return to action on Saturday, October 7, when they head to Utica, New York, to compete in an Empire 8 Crossover at Utica. EC opens the crossover with a 1:30 bout against St. John Fisher and ends the day at 4:00 p.m. with a tilt against the host Pioneers.