Score: #7 New York University 3 – Elmira College 0 [25-23, 25-22, 25-22]
Score: #15 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 3 – Elmira College 0 [25-19, 25-22, 25-21]
Records: Elmira (10-20, 1-7 UVC), NYU (14-8, 6-1 UVC), MIT (19-8, 4-3 UVC)
Location: Brooklyn Athletic Center – New York, N.Y.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team stumbled against two nationally-ranked opponents at the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Crossover hosted by New York University on Saturday, April 1. The Soaring Eagles fell in the first match, 3-0, to the host seventh-ranked Violets and then lost the second match by a 3-0 final score to 15th-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  

In the opening match against NYU, EC faced an early 8-2 deficit after the first 10 points. The hole grew to as much as eight points, 20-12, in the first set. This margin did not deter Elmira, however, as it won six of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 22-18. The Soaring Eagles continued to rally, drawing the margin to just one point, 24-23, after a Mark Kawecki '17 kill which forced a NYU timeout. Unfortunately for EC, the Violets scored the next point following the timeout, taking the 25-23 victory in the first.

Elmira started the second set strong, building a five-point advantage, 13-8, early on. Following a Violets' timeout, NYU went on a 7-2 run to even the score at 15-all. The two teams traded points until the score 22-21 in favor of NYU, when the Violets took three of the last four points to take the set, 25-22.

The third set was very tightly contested, as neither team was able to take more than a two-point lead until late in the set. The Violets got the first real advantage with the score tied at 21-all when NYU went on a 4-1 run to take the third, 25-22, and the match, 3-0.

In the following match against MIT, Elmira came out strong, taking a 4-1 advantage after a Jeremy Best '19 kill. The Engineers answered, however, going on a 5-1 run of their own to surge ahead, 6-5. The match evened out from there, as the teams traded points until the score sat at 17-16 in favor of MIT. From that point, the Engineers took eight of the last 11 points to take the set, 25-19.

The second set mirrored the first, as the teams battled to an early 11-all tie. MIT started to pull ahead in the next eight points, taking a 17-13 advantage. Although EC was down, it would not go down without a fight, cutting the deficit to one point, 23-22, late in the second. Best helped fuel the Elmira comeback by assisting on a kill and posting an ace on the Soaring Eagles' last two points of the run. Despite having the momentum in its favor, EC dropped the set after two-straight points from the Engineers.

Just like the first two sets, the third started off tightly contested, as the score sat tied at 6-6 after the first 12 points. Elmira took the first real advantage in the set, taking a 12-8 lead after a Kawecki kill. The EC lead grew to as high as five points, 15-10, following a block by Best and Matt Straney '20. The Engineers did not stay down for long, however, as they went on an 8-0 push to take an 18-15 advantage. The Soaring Eagles battled back and cut the margin to just one point, 21-20, after a Kawecki kill. Unfortunately for EC, the comeback attempt fell short, as MIT went on to win the set, 25-21, taking the match in straight sets.  

Inside the Box Score (NYU)

• EC recorded a .057 hitting percentage on a 21k-17e-70ta stat line
• The Violets hit at a .284 clip on a 33k-12e-74ta stat line.
• Elmira earned a big advantage in services aces, 10-4.
• NYU finished the match with a 9-3 lead in blocks.
• The Violets out-assisted the Soaring Eagles, 31-19.
• NYU took a slight lead in digs, 24-21.
• Ryan McDonough '18 led EC with a team-high nine kills.
• McDonough also paced the Soaring Eagles with eight digs.
• Kawecki recorded a team-leading three aces.
• Best assisted on 19 of Elmira's 21 kills.

 
Inside the Box Score (MIT)

• The Soaring Eagles recorded a .228 attack percentage against the Engineers on a 35k-14e-92ta stat line.
• MIT, on the other hand, hit at a .398 clip on a 48k-11e-93ta stat line.
• Elmira finished the match with a 5-2 advantage in blocks.
• The Soaring Eagles bested MIT in aces, 5-3.
• The Engineers assisted on 43 of their 48 kills, while EC assisted on 30 of its 35 kills.
• MIT bested the Soaring Eagles in digs, 37-30.
• Kawecki tallied a team-high nine kills, closely followed by Matthew Buffum '18 with eight.
• Best recorded 26 of Elmira's 31 assists.
• McDonough recorded a match-high three aces.

 
News and Notes

• EC's record falls to 10-20 overall and 1-7 in UVC competition.
• Elmira's record against nationally-ranked opponents drops to 1-11.
• With today's losses, EC is officially eliminated from UVC playoff contention.
• The Soaring Eagles' 10 aces against NYU are the fourth most that they have recorded this season.
• EC's 19 assists against NYU is its second-lowest total of the season.
• MIT's .398 attack percentage in the highest by an Elmira opponent since Arcadia University's .560 clip from February 25.
• Dan Symer '19 tied a career high with nine digs against the Engineers.
• With 26 assists against the Violets, Best has recorded at least 20 assists in four of his last five matches.

Up Next
Elmira will get a week-long break before returning to action with home matches against Nazareth College and SUNY Poly on Saturday, April 8. The first match against the Golden Flyers is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. at Speidel Gymnasium. The second contest against the Wildcats is slated for a 2:00 p.m. start.