Score: Elmira College 3 – Wilkes University 0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-21)
Records: Elmira (5-14), Wilkes (5-7)
Location: Wildcat Field House – Utica, N.Y.

UTICA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team earned a straight-set victory over Wilkes University, 25-22, 25-19, 25-21, on Friday evening on the first day of the SUNY Poly Invite in Utica, New York.

The Soaring Eagles started the contest off very strong, posting a match-high .433 hitting percentage in the first set. In Elmira's strong opening set, it accumulated 18 kills, while only committing five errors on its 30 total attacks. This fierce offensive play led to a 25-22 victory for EC.

Elmira's continued its strong play into the second set, as it bested the Colonels 25-19, while maintaining a .241 clip. In the second, the Soaring Eagles recorded 10 kills, while finishing with just three errors on their 29 attempts. The third set mirrored the first two, as EC continued its control, besting Wilkes by a score of 25-21, while posting a .161 attack percentage.

The Soaring Eagles were led by the strong play of Dan Symer '19 and Matthew Buffum '18. The duo finished tied for the match lead with 10 kills. Symer added six digs to cap off his all-around performance. Buffum was the model of efficiency, as he finished with a .600 attack percentage on his 15 total attempts, his third-best clip of the year. Ryan McDonough '18 also played well, finishing the match with a game-high four aces to go along with six digs and six kills.

Turning Point
EC was able to keep control of today's match by playing efficient volleyball. The Soaring Eagles only committed 14 errors on their 90 total attempts, on their way to a .278 attack percentage. Wilkes, on the other hand, struggled, as it recorded 12 errors on its 72 attempts, while finishing the match with a .125 clip. This allowed Elmira to dictate the action and cruise the straight-set triumph. 
 
In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Daniel Miranda on Elmira's offensive success against the Colonels...
"I thought offensively we played very strong, not counting our serves, Today's match was one of out strongest passing performances of the year."
 
Coach Miranda on getting off to a good start in the SUNY Poly Invite...
"It was a great start to our weekend. The boys played together and were in control throughout the match. We've struggled this year with consistency and it was a great to play a complete match."
 
Coach Miranda on taking today's momentum into tomorrow's two matches…
"We need to keep the consistency in our communication and we need to not let up when we have the advantage."

Inside the Box Score

• EC finished with a .278 attack percentage (39k-14e-90ta).
• Wilkes, on the other hand, finished the match with a .125 clip (21k-12e-72ta).
• Elmira out-blocked the Colonels, 5-to-1. 
• The Soaring Eagles assisted on 33 of their 39 kills, while Wilkes assisted on all 21 of its kills. 
• Symer and Buffum finished the outing tied with a match-high 10 kills.
• Buffum also finished with a match-high .600 hitting percentage.
• McDonough completed the contest with six kills, six digs and a team-leading four aces.
• Jeremy Best '19 assisted on 31 of Elmira's 39 kills.
• Matt Straney '20 ended the match with a team-high four blocks.

News and Notes

• Elmira improves to 5-14 on the season.
• Today's win was the Soaring Eagles' first at a neutral site.
• Elmira's straight-set victory was its fourth of the year.
• EC's .278 clip is its fourth-best percentage of the season.
• Buffum's .600 attack percentage is his second-best clip of the year.
• With 10 kills, Buffum has eight matches this season with double-digit kills.
• Symer finished the match with the second-highest amount of kills and the second-highest attack percentage of his sophomore campaign.
• Straney's four blocks are his third-highest total of the season.
• McDonough's four aces are the second most he has posted this year. 

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles continue the SUNY Poly Invite with a tilt against Rivier College tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. and will conclude the tournament with a 3:00 p.m. contest against Arcadia University. Both matches will be played at SUNY Poly's Wildcat Field House.