Score: Elmira College 3, Hilbert College 0 [26-9, 25-12, 25-18]
Score: Elmira College 3, Oswego State 2 [27-25, 22-25, 28-26, 18-25, 15-13]
Records: Elmira (7-2), Hilbert (0-10), Oswego (5-7)
Location: Oswego, N.Y. -- Max Ziel Gymnasium
 
OSWEGO, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's volleyball went a perfect 4-0 at the Oswego State Invitational over the weekend after picking up wins over Hilbert College [26-9, 25-12, 25-18] and Oswego State [27-25, 22-25, 28-26, 18-25, 15-13] on Saturday afternoon at the Max Ziel Gymnasium in Oswego, New York. Natalie Schieder '19 was named Tournament MVP for her impressive play over the two days of action. Taylor Kaznowski '19 joined her teammate with a selection to the All-Tournament team.

The Soaring Eagles got off to a strong start on the day, earning a 3-0 triumph over Hilbert. EC used hitting efficiency to top the Hawks, as it recorded a .279 hitting percentage, compared to Hilbert's .021 clip. In the match, Elmira finished with just 10 errors on its 61 total attacks. The Soaring Eagles were also very effective on the serve, as they finished with 20 aces, which tied a season-high for the team.

Freshman Lauren Smith '21 fueled EC's attack, as she finished with a match-high 12 kills. The 5-foot-6-inch outside hitter was able to execute any attack that she wanted, as her .526 hitting percentage led all players. Schieder finished just behind Smith with eight kills on the day, in addition to ending the contest tied for the team-lead with five digs. Rookie Kassi Hastings '21 was the main facilitator on the team, as she finished with 24 of the team's 27 assists against the Hawks.

The second match of the day is when things really got interesting, as the Soaring Eagles fought and clawed their way to a five-set victory over the host Lakers. For the second consecutive match, Elmira used its proficient service game to earn the non-conference victory, as the team tied a season high with 20 aces. This effectiveness at the serve helped make up for the fact that EC was out-hit .172-to-.089 by Oswego State.

Schieder led the Elmira offense with a match-high 19 kills, in addition to recording 16 digs for her fifth double-double of the year. Kaznowski also finished the contest with a double-double, her second of the season, as she tallied a team-high 35 assists to go along with a career-high 20 digs. Kasey Campbell '19 also had a strong bout, as she finished with a career-high 24 digs to go along with a team-high-tying five aces.

The match against the Lakers was tense throughout, as only one set was won by more than three points. EC had to go above 25 points to win both the first and third sets, in addition to having to come back in the final set. In the fifth, Elmira trailed the home team, 13-10, late in the set. EC did not let this deficit deter itself, however, as the Soaring Eagles went on to win the next five points. Smith and Schieder led the comeback, as the former recorded one kill and one ace and the latter tallied a pair of kills in the five points. A Schieder kill sealed the non-conference victory for Elmira, in addition to giving Elmira a perfect 4-0 mark over the weekend.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Rhonda Faunce on how her team's performance in both matches today…
"In our match against Hilbert, we showed that we were the better team. Everyone got to play, which gave a lot of our players some valuable experience. We are super excited to pick up the win against Oswego. The match was a back-and-forth affair throughout, but we showed determination and did not give up."

Coach Faunce on the team's success at the service line…
"Serving is something that we have been working on and we really had it going well today. The gym was so humid that the air was thick which meant that the ball was moving a lot."

Coach Faunce on the team's momentum heading into Tuesday's showdown with SUNY Cortland…
"You can see us finally starting to believe. It is a good feeling. It has taken us a bit, but the team is starting to trust the process. We are all feeling good about it."

News and Notes

• With two more victories on the day, Elmira improves to 7-2 on the young season.
• The Soaring Eagles on riding a season-long four-match win streak.
• With today's triumphs, EC has already surpassed last season's win total.
• Elmira has not started off a season with a record of 7-2 or better since the 2013 campaign when it began the year with an 8-1 mark.
• EC's 20 aces in both bouts are tied for a season high for the team.
• The Soaring Eagles have not tallied at least 20 service aces in back-to-back contests in over the last 14 seasons.
• The five-set match against Oswego State was Elmira's first of the year.
• Schieder's 19 kills in the second match of the day tied a season high for the junior.
• On the season, Schieder has a conference-best 118 kills (4.07/set).
• Campbell recorded a career-high 24 digs in the win over Oswego State.
• Smith's 12 kills and .526 hitting percentage are new season highs for the rookie.
• Hastings' 24 assists against the Hawks is a new season high for the freshman.
• Kaznowski tallied a career-high 20 digs and a season-high 37 assists in the match against the Lakers.
• Schieder was named Tournament MVP at the Oswego State Invitational.
• Kaznowski joined Schieder on the All-Tournament team.

Up Next
The Elmira women continue non-conference action with a road match against SUNY Cortland on Tuesday, September 19. The bout is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Red Dragons' Whitney T. Corey Gymnasium.