ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team prepares for a United Volleyball Conference (UVC) matchup against Penn State Behrend on Tuesday, March 21. 
The conference tilt is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. inside of Speidel Gymnasium.  

LAST TIME OUT
Elmira earned a 3-2 victory over Baruch College in a five-set battle on Saturday, March 18, at Speidel Gymnasium. The Soaring Eagles started the match off strong, taking the first two sets, 25-23, 25-19. Starting in the third set, however, the Bearcats battled back by winning sets three and four, 25-16, 25-13. With its back against the wall, EC answered in the fifth set, besting Baruch in a tight 15-13 affair. Elmira's strength on the afternoon was its setting abilities, as it assisted on 58 of its 64 kills. Sophomore setter Jeremy Best '19 led the way for the Soaring Eagles with his career-high 56 assists. Ryan McDonough '18 was the main beneficiary of those assists with a match-high 19 kills.

BEST EFFORT
The second-year Soaring Eagle, Best, has been on a tear of late with at least 20 assists in 11 of the last 12 matches. His career-high 56 helpers on Saturday are the most assists by an Elmira player since Carlos Faccio '16 recorded 56 against Cal Lutheran University on March 19, 2016. Best has set himself up well on EC's single-season leaders list in total assists and assists per set. The Wexford, Pennsylvania, product has 867 total assists, which put him into seventh place in the category and his 8.94 assists per set are good for sixth place on the leaderboard.

KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE
With the victory on Saturday, Elmira has won three straight, two of those coming in straight sets. This streak is important because it precedes four consecutive United Volleyball Conference (UVC) tilts. EC's results in these upcoming matchups will be the deciding factor in whether or not it makes the UVC playoffs.

SCOUTING PENN STATE BEHREND
The Lions have played .500 volleyball of late, as they have gone 4-4 in the month of March. Following this recent stretch, Penn State Behrend's overall record sits at 8-11 overall and 0-4 in UVC play. The Lions have struggled mightily against UVC competition this season, as they have won just one set against their conference counterparts. Penn State Behrend's most recent result was a 3-0 win over Skyline Conference foe Sage College on Saturday, March 18. Offensively, 2016 All-UVC Honorable Mention honoree Trenton Munk has been the Lions best threat, as he paces the team in kills (202) and hitting percentage (.391). The 6-foot-7-inch middle hitter has also been a nightmare on the defensive side of the court, as his team-leading 1.13 blocks per set sit second in the conference and fourth in the country. Sophomore defensive specialist Robert McMaster has helped carry the load on the defensive side with 2.28 digs per set, which rank third in the UVC. 

SERIES HISTORY
The Soaring Eagles have dominated the all-time series against Penn State-Behrend, owning a perfect 5-0 record. The most recent contest between the two programs was a straight-set victory for Elmira on February 24 of last year. EC has dominated the past meetings, as it has dropped just two sets against the Lions in the five previous matches.

LOOKING AHEAD
Elmira will return to action on Saturday, April 1, with critical matches against UVC rivals New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in New York, New York. The first match against NYU is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.