Score: Elmira College 3, Cazenovia College 0 [25-14, 25-6, 26-24]
Score: Elmira College 3, Plattsburgh State 1 [20-25, 27-25, 25-23, 25-23]
Records: Elmira (9-6), Cazenovia (3-4), Plattsburgh (5-11)
Location: Canton, N.Y. -- Ronald T. Burkman Gymnasium
 
CANTON, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team began the Canton Classic, hosted by SUNY Canton and St. Lawrence University, with wins over Cazenovia College [25-14, 25-6, 26-24] and Plattsburgh State [20-25, 27-25, 25-23, 25-23] on Friday evening in Canton, New York.

EC opened play today with a straight-set victory over Cazenovia College. The Purple and Gold did a great job of employing their offense against the Wildcats, as they outhit their non-conference foes .202-to-.026. This impressive hitting percentage was fueled by a .231 clip in the first set and a blistering .421 attack percentage in the second. The Soaring Eagles also used their serving skills to help defeat Cazenovia, as they tallied 15 aces in the match, the third-highest total that they have recorded this season.

Leading the Elmira offense was junior outside hitter Natalie Schieder '19, who recorded team highs in aces (7) and kills (6), the former tying a career-high mark. Sabrina Didas '20, Savannah Terry '21 and Lauren Smith '21 also had strong performances. Didas finished the match with the team's second-most kills with five, while Terry and Smith both tied for third on the team with four kills apiece. Senior middle blocker Courtney VanBuren '18 also put on a show as she tallied a season-best three kills in the victory.

As she has done all season, sophomore setter Taylor Kaznowski '20 helped fuel the EC offense with her match-high 22 assists. Kaznowski came close to recording her fifth double-double of the year but fell just one dig short with her team-high-tying nine. 

The second match of the day was much more tightly contested, as it took the Soaring Eagles four sets to best Plattsburgh State. Elmira had to come back from a 1-0 deficit after the Cardinals took the first set 25-20. EC was up for the challenge, however, as it reeled off 27-25, 25-23 and 25-23 wins in the second, third and fourth sets, respectively, to take the match.

The offenses in the second contest were equally matched, as the Cardinals slightly outhit their feathered foes .157-to-.140. The Purple and Gold's defense was key in the match against Plattsburgh, as they tallied a season-best 106 digs in the winning effort.

Junior outside hitter Tiara John '19 stole the show against the Cardinals, as she recorded her second double-double of the year on career highs in both kills (18) and digs (17). The Kayenta, Arizona, native also posted a team-best .275 attack percentage. Schieder and Kaznowski joined John with their own double-double performances in the bout, as the former finished with a season-high 21 digs and 15 kills and the latter posted a season-high 48 assists and 16 digs. Smith also came close to recording a double-double, as she finished the tilt with 10 kills and six digs.

Defensively, junior libero Kasey Campbell '19 had one of the strongest performances of her career against Plattsburgh, as she tallied a career-best 27 digs. Rachel Katzenberger '19 also chipped in defensively, as she posted 13 digs, the second most that she has recorded this year.  
 
In Her Own Words…
Head Coach Rhonda Faunce on her team's performance in the wins tonight…
"We came out and played well against Caz to pick up the win. The match against Plattsburgh was a bit of a struggle, but we pulled it out. Happy the team fought back after we lost the first set."
 
Coach Faunce on the impressive performance of Tiara John (18k, 17d) against the Cardinals…
"Tiara played really well in the match against Plattsburgh and was the key to us winning. She played really smart. She was able to keep the ball on the court."
 
Coach Faunce on what she is looking for out of her team heading into tomorrow's doubleheader…
"We had good determination and drive tonight to come back. We were down in all four sets, but that did not stop them from competing. I am also looking for the women to continue to play smart as we head into our two matches tomorrow."
 
News and Notes

• With the pair of wins tonight, Elmira improves to 9-6 on the season.
• The win over Plattsburgh was the Soaring Eagles' first four-set victory of the year.
• EC's 15 aces against the Wildcats are the third most that it has hit this season.
• Elmira's 106 digs in the match against the Cardinals are a season high for the team.
• The last time that the Soaring Eagles recorded at least 106 digs was on October 22, 2013, when they posted 113 digs in a five-set match against SUNY Cortland.
• John's 18 kills and 17 digs in match two are both career highs for the junior transfer.
• John's performance against Plattsburgh is her second double-double of the season.
• Schieder's seven aces against Cazenovia tied a career high for the junior.
• Schieder's 21 digs against the Cardinals are a season high.
• Schieder's double-double against Plattsburgh is her team-leading seventh this year.
• Campbell's 27 digs in match two are a career high for the junior.
• The last Soaring Eagle to record 27 digs in a match was Schieder, who did so in a 3-2 EC win against Penn College on September 15, 2016.
• Kaznowski's 48 assists in the win over the Cardinals is a season high for the junior.
• VanBuren's three kills in match one are a season high for the senior. 

Up Next
The Elmira women continue play in Canton, New York, with a doubleheader on Saturday, September 30. EC starts the day with a match against SUNY Canton at 11:00 a.m. before playing St. Lawrence University at 3:00 p.m.