| Elmira vs. Stevens | Elmira vs. Hartwick | Elmira vs. Nazareth |
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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team kicks off Empire 8 Conference play this Friday with a home match against the Stevens Institute of Technology at Speidel Gymnasium at 6:00 p.m. EC will then welcome both Hartwick College and Nazareth College to Speidel Gymnasium for an E8 Crossover on Saturday. The Soaring Eagles challenge the Hawks first at 11:00 a.m. before wrapping up the event up at 4:00 p.m. with a bout against the Golden Flyers.
LAST TIME OUT
Elmira's season-long four-match win streak came to a close on Tuesday, September 19, when the Soaring Eagles dropped a tough non-conference bout to SUNY Cortland, 3-0, at the Red Dragons' Whitney T. Corey Gymnasium. EC was in trouble from the opening set, as Cortland hit at an impressive .632 clip (12k-0e-19ta) in the first set on its way to the 25-12 win. The remainder of the contest mirrored the start, as the Red Dragons finished the bout with a .347 hitting percentage compared to Elmira's -.059 clip. Despite the loss, junior
Taylor Kaznowski '19 still had a solid showing, as she finished with her third double-double of the season on 16 assists and 11 digs. Classmates
Natalie Schieder '19 and
Tiara John '19 paced the team in kills with six and five, respectively.
FAUNCE CLIMBS THE RECORD BOOKS
In her 30 seasons donning the Purple and Gold, head coach
Rhonda Faunce has had one of the most illustrious careers in all of Division III volleyball. As of Friday's match, Faunce sits just 11 wins shy of reaching the prestigious 600-victory milestone. In terms of active coaches, Faunce's 589 triumphs rank 14th nationally and are the most by any E8 bench boss by a wide margin. With 23 regular-season matches remaining on the schedule, Faunce has a chance to add her name to an elite list of coaches by the year's end.
SCOUTING STEVENS
Stevens enters Friday's tilt riding a season-long 10-match winning streak. The Ducks have been close to unbeatable this season, as the only blemishes on their 12-2 record came against 16th-ranked Eastern University and 10th-ranked University of Mary Washington. Stevens also boasts a five-set victory over 24th-ranked Christopher Newport University this season. First-year head coach Annie McShea has the Ducks clicking on all cylinders, as the team paces the E8 in digs (16.70), kills (12.60), assists (11.82) and blocks (1.92) per set, in addition to ranking second in attack percentage (.228). Leading the way for the Stevens' defense has been Shelby Stewart and Sydni Horner. Stewart, a sophomore from Powell, Ohio, ranks sixth in all of Division III in total blocks (55). Horner, a senior libero from Columbia, Maryland, paces the E8 in total digs (274), a number that places her 19th on the national leaderboard. On the offensive side of the court, sophomore outside hitters Casey King and Taleen Mitchell have shared the load on offense. King paces the conference in kills with 166 and Mitchell ranks third with 144. Sophomore setter Julie Greco has been Stevens' best passer, as she leads the team with 329 assists.
SCOUTING HARTWICK
After winning their last two matches, the Hawks enter Saturday's bout with a 6-7 overall record and a 1-0 mark in Empire 8 Conference play. Hartwick's most recent result was a 3-1 victory over Utica College in its league opener on Wednesday, September 20. The Hawks' main success this season has come on the defensive side of the court, as they rank second in the conference in digs per set average (15.52). Fueling this impressive play on defense has been freshman libero Katie Boak, as her 3.84 digs per set average ranks fourth in the E8. On offense, the Hawks have done an impressive job getting points at the service line. As a team, Hartwick owns the conference third-highest aces per set average (2.98). Leading the way on the service line have been freshmen Maria Sorriento (0.77) and Boak (0.65), who rank second and fourth in the E8 in aces per set, respectively.
SCOUTING NAZARETH
The Golden Flyers come into this weekend's crossover with a 7-4 overall record after going 1-2 in a trio of five-set contests at the Hartwick invitational on Friday and Saturday, September 15-16. Nazareth's main strength this year has been its efficiency on offense. Through 11 games, the Golden Flyers pace the E8 in hitting percentage (.253). Leading Naz's attack has been the duo of Kelsey Milligan and Melissa Newcomb. Milligan, a 6-foot-2-inch middle from Pavilion, New York, leads the conference with a .348 attack percentage, while also ranking in a tie for second in kills (99). Newcomb has also shined through the first three weeks of the season, as she paces Nazareth with 102 kills and owns the team's second-highest hitting percentage (.338), a mark that also ranks second in the E8. Freshman setter Jessica Barry has been the Golden Flyers' catalyst for spreading the ball around, as she leads the Empire 8 with a whopping 357 assists on the year.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Soaring Eagles return to action on Friday and Saturday, September 29-30, when they will head to the Canton Classic, hosted by SUNY Canton and St. Lawrence University. On Friday, EC will square off against Cazenovia at 6:00 p.m., before challenging Plattsburgh State at 8:00 p.m. at St. Lawrence's Burkman Gymnasium.
