Score: Elmira College 3, Buffalo State 0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-10)
Records: Elmira (9-13), Buffalo State (3-19)
Location: Rochester Institute of Technology - Clark Gym – Rochester, N.Y.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team opened the RIT Invitational with a bang on Friday evening, cruising past Buffalo State in straight-sets.

Tiara John '19 led the way for the Purple and Gold, flooring a match-high 10 kills while hitting at a stellar .364 clip. EC was deadly from the service line once again, tallying 12 service aces. Taylor Kaznowski '19 recorded a match-high 28 assists to lead the Soaring Eagles.

Buffalo State was able keep pace with the Soaring Eagles early in the first set, but the Purple and Gold used an 8-0 run, kick-started by back-to-back kills from Lauren Smith '21 and John to streak ahead. Kasey Campbell '19 racked up three service aces during the barrage, guiding EC to a 21-11 lead. Kaznowski wrapped up the set with her lone kill of the match at 25-15.

Elmira jumped all over the Bengals to start the second set, using a 13-3 run to open the second stanza. A pair of kills from John and Kaylene Sauschuck'22, coupled with back-to-back aces from Natalie Schieder '19 highlighted the opening salvo. EC kept its foot on the gas from there, taking a commanding 22-9 lead following an ace from Kaznowski. John brought the set to a close for the Purple and Gold, combining with Kaznowski to give EC a 25-13 win.

The final set of the evening followed the script of the second as the Soaring Eagles came flying out of the gates. The Purple and Gold seized a 10-4 lead on the heels of a kill from Savannah Terry '21, and rolled from there using a 6-0 run to cruise to a 25-10 victory in the final set.

News and Notes

• John's 10 kills marked her second-straight match with double-digit kills.
• Elmira's 12 service aces marked the 11th match this season that the Purple and Gold have reached double-digit aces.
• EC improved to 8-4 in three-set matches this season.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles are back on the court tomorrow afternoon for a pair of matches to close the RIT Invitational. EC starts the day with a 1:00 p.m. non-conference battle against  Alfred State before finishing the tournament with a 3:00 p.m. showdown against Brockport.