Score: Elmira College 3, D'Youville College 1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-18, 25-20)
Score: Elmira College 3, Wells College 2 (25-22, 25-18, 26-28, 23-25, 15-13)
Records: Elmira (5-2), Wells (4-3), D'Youville (1-5)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. -- Speidel Gymnasium
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Elmira College men's volleyball earned two more victories on Saturday during the second day of action at the 2018 EC Invitational, as the Soaring Eagles defeated D'Youville College, 3-1, and Wells College, 3-2, at Speidel Gymnasium. With the two wins, EC finished a perfect 4-0 at its home tournament and has won five matches in a row since opening 0-2.
After the Spartans leveled the score at 1-1 with a 25-22 victory in the second set of Saturday's matinee, Elmira compiled hitting percentages of .471 and .476 in the third and fourth sets. As a result, the team averaged a .337 hitting percentage for the match, which marked the third in a row in which the Purple and Gold have hit above .300.
While freshman
Jose Malave '21 and senior
Matthew Buffum '18 wowed the crowd on Friday night with eye-popping offensive performances, it was junior
Dan Symer '19 who did so against D'Youville. The Burnt Hills, New York, native recorded a season-high .619 attack percentage and floored 14 kills, just one shy of his season-best.
From the service line, it was fellow junior
Ryan McDonough '19 who came up with some clutch deliveries. He tossed half of Elmira's season-high 12 aces, including the deciding point to clinch the 25-19 first-set win. McDonough followed that with one of his best offensive outings of 2018, as he guided the Soaring Eagles to a five-set win over the Wolves. The Lindenhurst, New York, native tied a season-high with 19 kills, in addition to 10 digs for his first double-double of the year.
In what proved to be another strong showing by Buffum, the 6-foot-7-inch senior played a crucial role in the decisive fifth set. After a red card was issued to Wells' Brannon Perdicho, Buffum tied the set at 9-all with a powerful swing. He and
Jeremy Best '19 then combined for a block on the right side of the net to give EC a 12-10 cushion and forced the Express to call a timeout. Buffum's 15th and final kill of the afternoon put Elmira ahead 14-11 before Malave picked up the match point with his 12th kill.
In Their Own Words...
Head Coach
Daniel Miranda on facing some adversity after winning both of Friday's matches in straight sets...
"They were able to learn from some of the mistakes from last week. They pushed through and understood that feeling of needing to get the job done regardless of the situation."
Coach Miranda on overcoming an early deficit to the fifth set against Wells...
"They showed resiliency and ability to stay calm in that situation, when things got a little heated on both sides. More importantly, they kept their play consistent and did not go overboard."
Coach Miranda when asked about having a balanced offense and several players contributing with standout matches in the tournament...
"I think the one thing about this team that I am excited about is the balance on offense, whether it's back row, front row, both pins, or the middles. It's just being able to execute, but I am excited about the balance that we have."
News and Notes
- After starting the season 0-2, Elmira improved to 5-2 with its fifth consecutive victory on Saturday.
- By sweeping play at the Elmira College Invitational, the Soaring Eagles have opened the 2018 season with a 4-0 home record.
- The Soaring Eagles tossed a season-best 12 aces in the win over D'Youville.
- EC tied its season-high with 61 kills in the five-set win over Wells.
- Libero Colin Morrison '19 recorded double-digit digs for the third time this year by posting 11 vs. Wells.
- Malave logged his third double-double of the year against the Express.
- McDonough's 19 kills tied his previous season high and mark the most floored by a Soaring Eagle in a match in 2018.
- Best handed out a season-high 50 assists while orchestrating the Elmira offense in the victory vs. Wells.
Up Next
Elmira will participate in the Mount St. Joseph/Wittenberg Invitational on Friday, February 2, and Saturday, February 3. Action begins with a 6:30 p.m. match against Dominican University (Ill.) on Friday, before the Soaring Eagles take on the co-hosts from Mount. St. Joseph University at 8:00 p.m.
