ELMIRA, N.Y.-- After splitting its matches at the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) crossover, hosted by SUNY New Paltz, this past weekend, the Elmira College Men's volleyball team takes a pause from its league schedule for a showdown with the Spartans of D'Youville College. The non-circuit tilt is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start on Wednesday, March 15, at the College Center Gym in Buffalo, New York. 

Last Time Out: The Purple and Gold split their conference matchups at the aforementioned UVC crossover, on March 11. EC fell in straight sets to third-ranked New Paltz. Despite the disappointing result in the first contest, Elmira roared back in its second matchup with Bard College, winning 3-0 to earn its first league victory of the season. EC's offense had a strong showing, as the team attacked with a mark of .403 on the match to go along with nine service aces. Dan Symer '19 had himself a day for the Soaring Eagles against Bard. The second year outside hitter had a team-high 11 kills with no errors while hitting at a career-high clip of .611. Matthew Buffum '18 joined Symer in the accuracy department, finishing the match with a .636 hitting percentage and eight kills. The duo combined for over half of EC's 35 kills in the win over the Raptors. 

Consistency is Key: Buffum continued his strong and steady play over the past weekend. The junior middle blocker hit at a rate of .636 in both matches, pushing his hitting percentage on the season to .408, which is good for second place in the UVC. That mark also places the junior in the top 15 nationally, where he sits in eleventh. Buffum has been able to sustain this level of play throughout the season, as he has recorded nine matches with an attack percentage of .500 or above. In his previous two seasons, the Parkview Central product recorded five such matches total.
 
Scouting D'Youville: The Spartans enter Wednesday's non-conference tilt on a 10-match losing streak, with their last win coming on February 11 against Southern Vermont at the Elmira College Invitational. Pat Stroh headlines the Spartans' offense, with a mark of 3.76 kills per set, which is first on the team and second in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC). The junior outside hitter has amassed 188 kills on the season, which accounts for 38.3 percent of the Spartans' 491 kills. Collin McMahon pulls the strings for the Spartans' offense with 7.42 assists per set, while also leading the NEAC in service aces with 0.62 per set. Defensively, Chance MacDowell leads D'Youville with his 2.40 digs per set average.    

All-Time Series: Elmira owns a 7-3 all-time record against D'Youville, with the most recent matchup coming earlier this season at the Elmira College Invitational. The Soaring Eagles delivered a three- set drubbing to the Spartans, behind a note-worthy .900 hitting percentage from Buffum.

Looking Ahead: The Soaring Eagles play host to non-conference foe Baruch College on Saturday, March 18. The match is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. start inside of Speidel Gymnasium.