ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The 2017 campaign draws to a close for the Elmira College men's volleyball team this weekend, as the Soaring Eagles ready for their final contests of the year in a non-conference tri-match with SUNY Poly and Nazareth College on Saturday, April 8, inside Speidel Gymnasium. EC will first face the Golden Flyers at 10:00 a.m., before taking on the Wildcats at 2:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles saw their playoff hopes dashed after suffering two critical losses at the UVC Crossover hosted by the Violets of New York University on Saturday, April 1. The competition was stiff over the weekend, as EC challenged the seventh-ranked Violets and 15th-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Elmira battled in each and every set, but eventually fell by a final of 3-0 in both matches. Ryan McDonough '18 paced the Purple and Gold with a combined 16 kills and five aces, while Mark Kawecki '17 dropped a team-high nine kills against MIT.
 
STRONG SERVICE
The Soaring Eagles had an excellent showing from the service line over the weekend, as EC finished with the most aces in both matches and posted combined total of 15. The barrage pushed the team's average to 1.54 aces per set on the season, which places Elmira in fourth in the UVC. McDonough led the charge with five total aces on the day. The junior outside hitter tossed three of Elmira's 10 aces against NYU, before chipping in two more against the Engineers. McDonough now owns an aces per set average 0.42, which is good for fifth in the UVC.
 
SCOUTING SUNY POLY
The Wildcats enter Saturday's matches riding a two-match win streak, while earning wins in five of their last six matches overall to improve to 16-14. An 11-5 record inside North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) allowed the Wildcats to earn the fourth and final seed in the conference's postseason tournament. The Wildcats earned straight-set victories in their last two matches, while their lone loss came in a 3-0 setback against Medaille College. SUNY Poly's offense is highlighted by two senior outside hitters, Max Szuba and Ryan Gloff. The duo has accounted for 533 kills on the season, while Szuba's mark of 300 is good for seventh in the NEAC. Gloff also chips in from the service line, as his 0.41 aces per set are fourth in the conference. Zach Goggin is the team's go-to option at the setter position and ranks third in the NEAC with 8.18 assists per set. Brian Malsan leads the Wildcats' defense with 231 digs on the season, equaling a 2.14 per set average.
 
SCOUTING NAZARETH
The Golden Flyers are fresh off of a three-set sweep of Keuka College on senior night last time out, bringing Nazareth's overall record to 19-12 on the year. Nazareth's regular season ends this afternoon, but the Golden Flyers will be competing in next week's United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Tournament as the sixth seed and will clash with third-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology next week. Zachary Gillard has been a consistent source of offense for Nazareth with team highs in kills (334) and kills per set (3.18). Jake Kemp has had a solid year distributing the ball with a team-leading 940 assists, a mark that ranks third in the UVC. Sean Dillon, Ethan Ross, and Kane Wittorff have provided the defense at the net, as the trio has combined for 225 blocks. Dillion leads the team with 81 rejections, while Ross and Wittorff have racked up 74 and 70, respectively.
 
SERIES HISTORIES
Nazareth boasts a 11-2 all-time record against the Soaring Eagles. Elmira's last win against Nazareth occurred in a five-set match in 2015. Against SUNY Poly, Elmira holds a 5-1 record. The last matchup between the two teams came in 2016 and ended in a straight-set victory for the Purple and Gold.
 
SENIOR DAY
Elmira College and the men's volleyball program would like to thank senior Mark Kawecki '17 for his contributions to the team and the EC community over the last four years. Kawecki will be honored prior to Saturday's 10:00 a.m. match. as part of Class of 2017 Recognition Day.