Score: Elmira College 3, Southern Vermont College 0 (25-17, 25-7, 25-17)
Score: Elmira College 3, D'Youville College 0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-21)
Records: Elmira (3-10), Southern Vermont (0-4), D'Youville (2-1)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. - Speidel Gymnasium

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team snapped a nine-match skid with a pair of straight-sets victories over Southern Vermont College and D'Youville College on the first day of action at the EC Invitational, hosted by the Soaring Eagles Friday at Speidel Gymnasium.

In the opening match, the Purple and Gold bested the Mountaineers with ease, 25-17, 25-7, 25-17. In the one-sided second set, the Soaring Eagles crushed the ball to the tune of a .600 hitting percentage with 10 kills and just one error. Ryan McDonough '18 and Matthew Buffum '18 led the offensive attack with nine and eight kills, respectively. On the other hand, Southern Vermont managed to record just 10 kills in the entire match.

An outstanding effort on the serve also helped Elmira grab the 3-0 victory. Six of the eight Soaring Eagles who appeared in the match tossed up at least one ace, while five accumulated multiple aces, en route to a season-high 13. Dan Symer '19 and Buffum each finished with a trio of aces to lead the team.

While the Soaring Eagles faced little resistance in the first match, the Spartans did not go down without a fight. D'Youville rallied to pull ahead, 5-2, early in the third set. Down by two, 10-8, kills from McDonough and Henry Cleveland '20 drew the set even, before Elmira took its first lead, 11-10, on an attacking error by the Spartans. The score remained level up until 15-15, but Buffum served the team to an 18-15 advantage, one it would not relinquish for the remainder of the set. Buffum and Jeremy Best '19 registered the match point on a combined block to seal the victory.

The impressive offense continued in the nightcap, as the Soaring Eagles hit a whopping .303 as a team to set a new season high for attack percentage. In the middle, Buffum was nearly unstoppable, as nine of his 10 attacks went down as kills, equaling a career-high .900 percentage. The 6-foot-7-inch junior padded his stat line with six total blocks and three more aces.

Inside the Box Score (Southern Vermont)

• Elmira hit at a rate of .288 (33k-14e-66a), while the Mountaineers only posted a .131 attack percentage (10k-5e-38a).
• EC had advantages in aces, 13-to-2, and total blocks, 5-to-2.
• McDonough led all players with a match-high nine kills.
• Buffum turned in eight kills, followed by Cleveland with six.
• Cleveland also had a team-leading seven digs.
• Best assisted on 25 of Elmira's 33 kills.
• Symer and Buffum each served a match-high three of aces.
• Elmer Olivares paced Southern Vermont with seven kills.

Inside the Box Score (D'Youville)

• The Soaring Eagles attacked at a .303 clip (35k-12e-76a), nearly triple the rate of the Spartans (.104).
• EC finished with nine aces and eight total blocks, while D'Youville had just three aces and four blocks.
• Buffum finished with a team-high nine kills and an impeccable .900 attack percentage.
• McDonough and Symer followed with eight and seven kills, respectively.
• Matt Straney '20 had four kills without an error, equaling a .500 attack percentage.
• Ryan Branigan '19 led all players with nine digs.
• Best finished with 30 of Elmira's 31 assists.

News and Notes

• Elmira is now 3-10 on the season and 2-1 at home.
• The straight-set victories were the first of the season for the Soaring Eagles.
• EC recorded its two best attack percentages of the season on Friday night, including a season-high .303 against D'Youville.
• The Soaring Eagles registered a season-high 13 aces against Southern Vermont, while the nine aces posted against the Spartans is the second-highest total of the year.
• For the first time since beating Rutgers-Newark on January 20th, Elmira held the opposition to an attack percentage below .200, as Southern Vermont hit just .122 and D'Youville attacked at a .104, the lowest by an EC opponent this season.
• Buffum's .900 attack percentage is the best of his career in a match with more than two total attacks.
• Cleveland's six kills and seven digs against Southern Vermont are both season highs for the rookie.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to Speidel Gymnasium for the second day of action in the Elmira College Invitational on Saturday, February 11th. EC will face the Gators of The Sage Colleges at 12:00 p.m., before battling No. 15 Lasell College at 4:00 p.m.