Score: Elmira College 3 – D'Youville College 0
Records: Elmira (9-17), D'Youville (3-12)
Location: College Center Gymnasium – Buffalo, N.Y.
 
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Elmira College Men's volleyball team posted a program-best .564 attack percentage in its defeat of non-conference adversary D'Youville College on Thursday night in Buffalo, New York. The Soaring Eagles bested the Spartans for the second time this season, beating them in straight sets, 25-20, 25-19, 25-8, for the second-straight match.

EC got off to a good start in the first set, beginning the match on an 8-2 run. Ryan McDonough '18 finished the early surge with one of his set-high-tying five kills. The Soaring Eagles continued to roll, growing the advantage to set-high nine points, 14-5, following a Dan Symer '19 kill that was assisted by Jeremy Best '19. 

From that point, however, the Spartans would attempt a comeback, winning 10 out of the next 22 points to draw the deficit back to just 16-15. From there, the match would be tightly contested, with the lead never growing above six points. EC would take back control of the match with the score sitting at 17-16, as it finished out the set by taking eight of the last 12 points to seal the early triumph.  

The second set got off to a tight start, with the teams trading points until the score sat tied at 6-all. With the score deadlocked, Elmira started to take charge, going on an 8-2 surge to pull ahead by six points, 14-8. The run was bookended by D'Youville errors. The Soaring Eagles held on to take the set 25-19, despite a late run by the Spartans. McDonough sealed the victory for EC with a strong kill that the D'Youville defenders could not handle.

The start of the third set mirrored the first, as the Soaring Eagles quickly went ahead by a score of 13-2, which resulted in a Spartans' timeout. A major catalyst of EC's impressive play was the service game of Mark Kawecki '17. The senior outside hitter recorded three aces in his five serves during the stretch.

Elmira's most exciting point of the set was when the score sat at 21-7. In that point, EC blocked three of D'Youville's attack attempts, with the final block from Matthew Buffum '18 and Kawecki scoring the point. The Soaring Eagles continued its domination in the third by dropping just six points for the remainder of the set on its way to the 25-8 victory giving them the match in straight sets.

Turning Point
EC's main strength tonight was its dominating hitting percentage. Attacking at a season-high .564 clip helped Elmira keep control of the match. The Spartans' .103 percentage, on the other hand, held them back from staying in contention. The Soaring Eagles hit the ball with confidence because they were not committing errors, as it finished with just five in its 55 total attacks. The confidence in its attack allowed EC to perform well in other facets of the game.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Daniel Miranda on his team recording a new program-best attack percentage…
"Our efficiency helped us stay on top and not let up. We've struggled all year with committing errors and allowing teams to take advantage. Being as efficient as we were allowed us to keep control of the match without letting opponents back in."
 
Coach Miranda on his team's momentum going into Saturday's home match with Baruch…
"We need to continue holding ourselves accountable for our responsibilities regardless of how the match is flowing. Hoping to keep rolling and set the tone for our major conference matches coming up too."
 
Coach Miranda on maintaining this efficiency going down the stretch of the season…
"Overall, we're glad to see our most efficient match towards the end of our season. I am hoping that we continue our progression and upset some teams as we wrap up."
 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira finished with a .564 attack percentage on a 36k-5e-55ta stat line.
• The Spartans completed the match with a .103 clip on an 18k-12e-58ta stat line.
• EC posted 12 service aces, compared to D'Youville's three.
• Elmira out-dug the Spartans, 20-13.
• The Soaring Eagles owned a dominate lead in assists, 33-16.
• EC bested D'Youville in blocks, 4-2.
• McDonough paced all players with a match-high 12 kills.
• Kawecki finished just behind McDonough with 11 kills of his own and finished with a match-high .733 hitting percentage.
• Kawecki also recorded a match-high five aces and a match-high-tying five digs.
• Best assisted on 29 of Elmira's 36 kills.

News and Notes

• The Soaring Eagles improved to 9-17 on the season.
• EC completed the season sweep of the Spartans and have defeated the non-conference foe in six-straight contests.
• Elmira grew its lead in the all-time series against D'Youville to 7-3.
• EC's .564 attack percentage is a new program record.
• Twelve aces are tied for the second most that the Soaring Eagles have posted this season.
• Kawecki's .733 hitting percentage is a new career high for the senior. 
• Kawecki's five aces tied a career-best mark.
• McDonough posted his team-leading 14th double-digit kill effort.

Up Next
Elmira returns home to Speidel Gymnasium for the first time in a month for a non-conference bout against Baruch College on Saturday, March 18. The Soaring Eagles and the Bearcats are scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m.