ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team couldn't complete its comeback effort against Hartwick on Friday evening, falling to the Hawks in a five-set Empire 8 Conference battle.

Despite dropping a tightly contested first set, Elmira (7-12, 2-2 E8) responded by winning the next two sets to wrench control of the match away from Hartwick (7-9, 2-4 E8). The Hawks didn't go quietly however, as Hartwick bounced back to steal the final two sets as the Purple and Gold couldn't hang on for the road win.

Natalie Schieder '19 paced the Soaring Eagles' attack once again, racking up 14 kills and 10 digs to record her 10th double-double of the season. Tiara John '19 finished with 11 kills; her third-straight match with double-digit kills.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Hawks edge the Purple and Gold after EC couldn't find consistency in its attack, hitting at a .097 clip. Elmira bounced back in the second set, clipping the Hawks, 26-24.

The Purple and Gold kept the momentum going in the third set, capturing a 25-21 victory. A 5-0 run in the middle of the set pushed EC ahead as Kaylene Sauschuck '22 and Lydia Milligan '21 floored back-to-back kills to spark the barrage. Elmira never relinquished its lead from there, holding on to take the set 25-21.

EC's two-sets-to-one advantage didn't last however as the Hawks took a back-and-forth fourth set 25-23. The Soaring Eagles slipped behind early in the final set, but back-to-back kills from Schieder and Sauschuck pulled the Purple and Gold back within one at 10-9. That was as close as Elmira came to the Hawks, as Hartwick held its lead to take the final set 15-11.

News and Notes

• Schieder has now posted 10 double-doubles in kills and digs this season
• John has now floored double-digit kills on nine occasions in 2018.
• Taylor Kaznowski '19 now ranks second all-time in EC history with 3,093 assists after her 36 assist-outing against the Hawks.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to Speidel Gymnasium to host Penn College on Tuesday, October 9. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.