ELMIRA, N.Y. -- After dropping a four-set United Volleyball Conference (UVC) tilt against Penn State Behrend on March 21, the Soaring Eagles return to the court for a UVC Crossover, hosted by New York University, this weekend. Elmira is set to face the No. 7-ranked Violets in a match scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. start. Following that contest, the Purple and Gold square off against the No. 15-ranked Engineers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 1:30 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: Elmira suffered a critical UVC loss against Penn State Behrend in a hard fought four-set slugfest. The Lions took the first two sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-22, respectively. Elmira battled back in the third set behind strong play from Mark Kawecki '17. The senior led the Soaring Eagle attack and helped guide them to a 26-24 victory in the third set.  The fourth and final set saw Elmira hold the lead on three separate occasions, only to see the Lions end the set on an 8-0 run to clinch the win.
 
Career Day: Kawecki had a monster performance for the Soaring Eagles the last time they took the court against Penn State Behrend. The senior outside hitter was dialed in from the start and ended the match with a career-high 22 kills. He was able to reach that number while hitting at a clip of .400, which is the third-highest mark in the Bangor, Pennsylvania, native's career. Kawecki's outburst also counted as the highest individual kill count in a match for the Soaring Eagles this season.
 
Playoff Implications: Although the Soaring Eagles will need some help to get into this year's UVC Tournament, a post-season berth is not out of the realm of possibilities. In order for EC to qualify, it will first need to sweep this weekend's matches against NYU and MIT, but will also require Nazareth College to earn at least a weekend split against two of the country's top teams in No. 5-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology and No. 2-ranked SUNY New Paltz.
 
Scouting NYU: The Violets head into this weekend's tilt with a 13-8 overall record and a 5-1 mark in UVC matches. NYU sits in second place in the UVC standings and will be looking to solidify the second seed, as well as a first-round bye, into this year's conference tournament. The Violets are coming off of a tough 3-1 loss to No. 10-ranked Hunter College on Thursday, March 30, the team's fifth loss in its last nine matches. Freshman talent Alex Li has been NYU's top hitting option, as the California native boasts a UVC-leading 3.82 kills per set, while swinging at a .254-percent clip. Li has 106 more kills than the next closest player, Evan Lindley, who is also a first-year player. Defensively, Connor Keowen and Neil Ferraro have gotten the job done on the floor and in the air. Keowen is the team's leader in digs with 163 and ranks fourth in the UVC with a 2.14 digs per set average. Ferraro owns a team-high 56 total blocks (50 BA, 6 BS) and is seventh in the conference with a 0.85 blocks per set average.
 
Scouting MIT: The Engineers enter Saturday's contest after having a rough month of March. MIT finished 1-6 on the month, with their lone win coming against UVC opponent Penn State Behrend in a straight-set sweep. Five of the six losses came against ranked opponents, as MIT ran through a gauntlet of top-15 competition. The Engineers' most recent match ended in a five-set defeat at the hands of Endicott College. MIT's offense is led by Tavish Smith and Skyler Kaufman. Smith, a junior outside hitter, paces the team with 3.16 kills per set, which is good for fourth in the UVC, while he has amassed 250 kills. Kaufman acts as the team's main middle hitter; he has hit .401 with 192 kills, the former ranking fourth in the UVC. MIT's offense is orchestrated by Yize Dong, who is third in the conference in assists per set with 9.58. Jordan Lucier leads the Engineers with 2.67 digs per set, second-most in the league.
 
Up Next: Elmira concludes the 2017 regular season next Saturday, April 8, when the Purple and Gold host Nazareth and SUNY Poly in a pair of non-conference matches at Speidel Gymnasium. Action begins at 10:00 a.m., when the Soaring Eagles battle the Golden Flyers, and concludes with a 2:00 p.m. showdown against the Wildcats. EC will also honor its lone senior, Mark Kawecki '17, during Saturday's Class of 2017 Recognition Day.