Tournament Page

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team will travel to Oswego, New York, to take part in the Oswego State Invitational on Friday and Saturday, September 15-16. The Soaring Eagles begin the tournament on Friday at 5:00 p.m. with a non-conference bout against SUNY Canton at the Lakers' Max Ziel Gymnasium.

ACES IN SPADES
Through five games this season, EC's service game has been one of the most dangerous in the Empire 8 Conference. Elmira owns an E8-best 3.53 aces per set average. It has not been a one-woman show on the serve either, as four Soaring Eagles rank among the league's top-10 aces leaders. The group is led by Taylor Kaznowski '19 (0.67) and Kasey Campbell '19 (0.67), who are both ranked in a tied for fourth on the conference leaderboard. They are closely followed by Tiara John '19 (0.54) and Natalie Schieder '19 (0.53), who rank eighth and ninth, respectively.

SCOUTING SUNY CANTON
The Kangaroos come into Friday's bout with a 2-4 overall record after going 1-3 at the Victory Promotions Invitational, hosted by Clarkson University and SUNY Potsdam, this past weekend. Canton's success has been dependent on its hitting efficiency, as its two wins this year came in matches that the Roos hit above .250. Sophomore outside hitter Shea Norton has been Canton's best offensive weapon through the team's first six matches, as she leads the Roos in kills (74) and attack percentage (.241), in addition to ranking in a tie for second in service aces (8). The reigning All-Independent Third Team All-Star honoree is no slouch on defense either, as she sits second on the team with 62 digs. Norton's main partner on the court has been junior setter Peyton Robinson. The reigning All-Independent Setter of the Year's 8.25 assists per set average leads the America Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA).

SCOUTING BARD
After posting a 0-4 record to start the season, the Raptors have started to turn things around recently. They enter this weekend's event riding a season-long three-match win streak which improved their record to 3-4. Bard's main catalyst for improved play is better effectiveness on its serves. In the Raptors' three wins, they averaged 15.7 aces per match, as opposed to 4.5 in their losses. Philippine Alba and Victoria Chou have led the Bard service game, as the former has tallied a team-high 14 aces and the latter is not far behind with 12. Alba also leads the Raptors in kills per set (2.10) and ranks second in digs per set (1.90) through the first seven bouts of the season. 

SCOUTING HILBERT
The Hawks enter the tournament with seven straight losses to start the year. In its seven losses, Hilbert has not won a set and has finished with a negative hitting percentage on five occasions. The Hawks' main struggle has been limiting errors, as they ranks 10th out of the 10-member Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) in hitting percentage (-.048). Hilbert will look to sophomore Ashley Repine to help jumpstart the season. The 5-foot-11-inch middle leads the team in both kills (24) and blocks (11), in addition to ranking second in digs (32). Fellow sophomore Torianna LeWand has also made her presence known on the court, as she paces the team in digs (52) and ranks second in kills (20).

SCOUTING OSWEGO STATE
The Lakers enter this weekend's tournament with a 2-6 record after dropping their last five matches. The main difference between Oswego State's wins and losses has been its hitting efficiency. In their two wins, the Lakers hit above .220, and in its six setbacks, they hit no higher than .131 percent. Despite Oswego State's struggles to start the year, 6-foot middle blocker Alison Sullivan has been one of the most dominant players in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). The junior from Dedham, Massachusetts, paces the conference in blocks with 28 on the young campaign, a number that ranks 43rd in the nation. When Sullivan is not stuffing the opponent at the net, the Lakers look to sophomore setter Julia Flohr to fuel the offense, as she has tallied a team-best 186 assists on the year. The Liverpool, New York, native has done a good job of spreading the ball around on offense, as four different players have already recorded at least 40 kills.

UP NEXT
EC continues its road trip with an away contest against SUNY Cortland on Tuesday, September 19. The non-league match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Red Dragons' Whitney T. Corey Gymnasium.