Score: Baruch College 3, Elmira College 2 (10-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-13)
Records: Baruch (1-0), Elmira (0-1)
Location: New York, N.Y. - ARC Arena
 
NEW YORK -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at the hands of Baruch College in the Soaring Eagles' 2018 season opener at the Athletics & Recreation Complex (ARC) Arena in New York, New York.

EC was paced in the contest by a fantastic performance from Matthew Buffum '18, who posted a team-high 15 kills, to go along with three blocks, all while hitting at a stellar .478 clip. Freshman Jose Malave '21 was next on the team with 10 kills and a team-high-tying 12 assists to post his first collegiate double-double. Also making noise on the final stat sheet were Ryan McDonough '19 and Landon Miller '20, as the former tallied six service aces and the latter flooring five blocks to go along with their nine kills apiece. Jeremy Best '19 was at the center of EC's offense, as he tallied a match-high 48 assists.

After dropping the first point of the match, the Soaring Eagles would not trail again for the duration of the first set. EC used a 13-1 run take a commanding 13-2 lead that Baruch was unable to come close to. This momentum held through the remainder of the first, as Elmira sealed the set with a 25-10 win. This commanding performance was fueled by effective hitting by the Purple and Gold, as they hit at a scorching .542 clip, compared to the Bearcats' -.143 attack percentage.

The second set was much more competitive, as EC and Baruch battled to seven ties throughout. One of the more noteworthy runs was a stretch of three consecutive service aces by McDonough, which gave Elmira a 6-4 lead early on. The most important run of the second was the Purple and Gold's 4-1 run to end the set. Tied 21-all, kills by Malave, Buffum and Dan Symer '19, which were all assisted by Best, propelled EC to the 25-22 win.

The third set was similar to the second, as the score remained close for much of its duration. The match was so close that the margin never grew beyond four points in favor of either team. Unfortunately for Elmira, the Bearcats returned the favor from the second set and won the third by a 25-22 final score. 

The fourth set was much of the same, as it would be decided by less than three points. Elmira was led in the set by a fantastic effort from Miller, who tallied five kills and two blocks in the fourth alone. Despite this strong effort, EC would succumb to Baruch's pressure, 25-23, forcing a fifth-and-final set.

In the fifth, with the score tied at 9-9, the Bearcats started to turn up their intensity by taking five of the next six points to take the set to match-point, 14-10. Just one point away from the loss, EC began to battle back by cutting the margin to just one point, 14-13. This would be the closet that Elmira would come though, as a Nathaniel Chin kill sealed the win for Baruch.
 
In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Daniel Miranda shares his thoughts after tonight's setback…
"Tough loss today, but a good way to raise our expectations for the season as a whole. Started off firing on all cylinders, but we weren't able to keep that intensity throughout. We needed to be more efficient on offense and more disciplined on defense. We made some very promising plays, but our season will be determined by how we respond going forward. Guys are hungry to bounce back and respond against two tough opponents tomorrow in Newark."  
 
News and Notes

• Elmira begins the season with a 0-1 record, while Baruch starts off 1-0.
• The Bearcats improve to 5-4 in the all-time series against EC.
• Elmira is now 2-6 all-time in season openers.
• The last four matches between the Soaring Eagles and Bearcats have gone to five sets, with both teams owning two wins in that stretch.
• With 10 kills and 12 assists tonight, Malave became the first EC player to record a double-double in a season-opening match since Erik Griffin '16 recorded 20 kills and 11 digs in the 2013 opener against No. 3 Juniata.
• McDonough's six service aces are a new career high for the junior.
• With his .478 clip, Buffum picked up right where he left off last year when he owned a single-season program-record .397 hitting percentage.
• Best dished out 48 assists against the Bearcats, a number that he topped just three teams in 2017.

 
 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to action tomorrow with a pair of road matches at the Golden Dome Invitational, hosted by Rutgers-Newark. EC begins the event with an 11:00 a.m. bout against the host Scarlet Raiders, before challenging Ramapo College at 1:00 p.m.