| Tri-Match At Mount St. Joseph University |
| Match Details |
Friday, Feb. 2 | Cincinnati, Ohio | 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 2 | Cincinnati, Ohio | 8:00 p.m. |
| Match One Coverage |
Live Video:Â Video Link
Live Stats: Stats link |
| Match Two Coverage |
Live Video:Â Video Link
Live Stats: Stats Link |
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team is set for a busy weekend in Ohio, as the Soaring Eagles will take part in a tri-match at Mount St. Joseph University on Friday, February 2, and the 2018 Power Weekend, hosted by Wittenberg University, on Saturday, February 3. EC will begin its excursion with a 6:30 p.m. showdown against No. 5-ranked Dominican University (Ill.) on Friday.
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles went a perfect 4-0 at the Elmira College Invitational on Friday and Saturday, January 26-27, with wins over Keuka (3-0), Thiel (3-0), D'Youville (3-1) and Wells (3-2). The Purple and Gold were led by
Ryan McDonough '19,
Jose Malave '21 and
Matthew Buffum '18, who all recorded strong performances in the quartet of matches. McDonough led the team in kills with 41, while also ranking second in digs with 25. Malave also cracked 40 kills to go along with a team-high 11 service aces. Buffum was a terror at the net, as he posted 39 kills, made a team-leading 17 blocks, all while hitting at a .548 clip.
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Rookie outside hitter Malave was fantastic in Elmira's four victories at the EC Invite. The San Juan, Puerto Rico, native led the Purple and Gold in kills per set (3.08), while maintaining a .324 hitting percentage. He also posted 11 service aces to go along with 19 digs and two block assists. The highlight of Malave's tournament was in EC's straight-set win over Thiel on Friday, when he floored 14 kills with just one error, which equaled a single-match program-record .867 hitting percentage. For his impressive play, Malave was awarded both United Volleyball Conference (UVC) and Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Week accolades to go along with EC Athlete of the Week honors.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
These two events will provide the Soaring Eagles with some tough competitors, as it features two nationally-ranked teams and three teams with records above-.500. Elmira's weekend will begin against No. 5 Dominican, who is coming off of a 2017 campaign in which the Stars posted a 26-3 overall record and made an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. This year, Dominican is 3-1, with the lone loss coming at the hands of No. 3 UC Santa Cruz, 3-2, in its most recent match on Wednesday. Then Elmira will challenge the Lions of No. 12 Mount Saint Joseph on their home court at the Harrington Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Lions are 4-2 this season, with four-set wins over both No. 9 Juniata and No. 5 Nazareth under their belts. At the Power Weekend, EC will play both Penn State Altoona and Marian in neutral-site contests. Penn State Altoona has started the year with a 6-4 record and enters the weekend as winners of two of its last three tilts. Marian has played just four times in 2018 and the Sabres are 1-3 in those bouts. Marian's lone victory of the season came in a 3-1 triumph over Adrian in its season opener.
UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles will return to the court in just four days, as they challenge Nazareth to a non-conference match on Wednesday, February 7, in Rochester, New York. The tilt is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Golden Flyers' Kidera Gymnasium.
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