Match 1: Elmira College 3, Alfred University 0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-23)
Match 2: Elmira College 0, The College at Brockport 3 ( 15-25, 20-25, 18-25)
Records: Elmira (10-14), Alfred U. (2-19), Brockport (15-9)
Location: Rochester Institute of Technology – Clark Gym – Rochester, N.Y.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team split its final two contests at the RIT Invitational on Saturday afternoon, earning a win over Alfred before dropping a hard-fought battle to Brockport to close the tournament.

Match 1
In the opening match on Saturday afternoon, the Soaring Eagles faced Alfred University in a non-conference affair. The Purple and Gold cruised passed the Saxons, earning their ninth win in three-set matches this season. Natalie Schieder '19 paced EC with a match-high 12 kills, finishing with a double-double after adding 15 digs. Tiara John '19 finished one kill away from a double-double, tallying nine kills and 11 digs.

The opening set was a back-and-forth affair, but a 4-0 run, headlined by a pair of kills from Lauren Smith '21 pushed Elmira ahead with the score at 13-9. The Soaring Eagles never relented, maintaining their lead the rest of their way as John eventually brought the set to a close at 25-19 with one of her nine kills.

EC was able to go up early on the Saxons once again, using a 3-0 run featuring back-to-back kills from Schieder to take a 16-9 lead. Kasey Campbell '19 used two service aces to push the Purple and Gold ahead 23-12 before Smith put the set to rest at 25-14. The final stanza followed the same script as the second, as Elmira took a 15-9 lead early in the set, forcing Alfred U. into a timeout. The Saxons battled back late, pulling within one at 21-20. EC was able to regroup however as Savannah Terry '21 and Schieder forced Alfred U. into a timeout with back-to-back kills. Schieder wrapped the match up with a kill at 25-23 as EC earned the victory.

Match 2
The Purple and Gold couldn't replicate their success against Brockport, falling in three sets to the Golden Eagles. Schieder and Lydia Milligan '21 led EC with five kills apiece. Rachel Katzenberger '19 and Campbell tallied eight digs apiece to lead the Purple and Gold.

EC slipped behind the Golden Eagles early in the opening stanza, but was able to pull back within three at 14-11 after a service ace from Smith. That was as close as the Purple and Gold would get as Brockport took the opener, 25-15. The second set saw Brockport jump out ahead early once again, but the Purple and Gold were able to battle back, cutting the deficit to 17-15 on a kill from Terry. However, the Soaring Eagles couldn't piece together the offense they needed as Brockport won the set at 25-20.

After falling behind 11-4 in the third set, the Purple and Gold used a 5-0 run highlighted by a pair of kills from Milligan, to cut the deficit to two with the score at 11-9. A 4-0 run by the Golden Eagles put EC down 17-12, and the Purple and Gold were unable to recover as Brockport fended off the Soaring Eagles to take the final set 25-18.

News and Notes

• Taylor Kaznowski '19 was named to the all-tournament team after tallying 74 assists across three matches.
• Schieder has tallied 11 double-doubles in kills and digs this season.
• Kaznowski and Campbell finished the weekend with six service aces apiece.
• With her 17 kills today, Scheider became the seventh player in EC history to surpass 1,400 career kills. 
• Schieder now ranks sixth on Elmira's career leaderboard with 198 aces and 10th all-time with 1,244 digs.

 
Up Next
EC returns Speidel Gymnasium on Wednesday, October 17, when the Soaring Eagles welcome Alfred University for a  6:00 p.m. Empire 8 battle. The Purple and Gold will recognize the members of the Class of 2019 prior to Wednesday night's opening serve.