ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The No. 15-ranked Elmira College men's volleyball team heads to Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, to take part in a United Volleyball Conference (UVC) tri-match hosted by Bard College on Saturday and Sunday, February 17-18. The Soaring Eagles begin the event with a 3:30 p.m. top-15 showdown against No. 14-ranked SUNY New Paltz on Saturday, before closing play the following day at 11:00 a.m. against The Sage Colleges.
LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles completed a straight-set sweep of Misericordia University to go a perfect 2-0 at a tri-match at Speidel Gymnasium on Sunday, February 10. EC put on quite a show in the contest, as it posted a program-record hitting percentage of .615. Freshman
Jose Malave '21 paced all players with 10 kills and four service aces in addition to hitting at a .769 clip. Sophomore
Landon Miller '20 also had a solid showing with six kills and a match-high four blocks. Junior setter
Jeremy Best '19 was also stellar with 30 assists on Elmira's 36 kills.
SET UP FOR SUCCESS
A key component of Elmira's hot start this season has been the fantastic play of Best. The Wexford, Pennsylvania, native is averaging 9.9 assists per set, the second-most in the UVC and eighth-most in the country. The highlight of Best's season came against No. 5-ranked Dominican University (Ill.) on February 2, when he recorded a single-match career-high 62 assists against the Stars. For the season, he has tallied 30-or-more assists in all but three matches. Best will be critical to the Purple and Gold's success as they continue conference play, as his passing is key to the team's hitting efficiency.
SCOUTING SUNY NEW PALTZ
A season removed from taking second place in the NCAA Division III Tournament, the Hawks have begun the 2018 campaign with a 5-3 overall record. The three setbacks came against Eastern Mennonite, No. 14 Marymount and No. 1 Springfield, all in straight sets. Similar to Elmira, New Paltz offense is dependent on effective passing, as it is third in the league and eighth in the country in assists per set (11.2). Sophomore Matthew Grace has taken charge at the setter position with a team-leading 7.54 assists per set. Senior Mitchell Kennedy has also seen a good amount of playing time, as he has posted 74 assists this season. The main beneficiary of these passes has been junior Nick Smith, who leads the team with 86 kills, while hitting at a .293 clip.
SCOUTING SAGE
In their first season as UVC members, the Gators have begun the year with a 6-6 overall record. Sage enters the weekend as winners of two consecutive matches, as it defeated both Penn State Behrend and Keuka at the Penn State Behrend Invitational last weekend. The Gators are one of the stronger defensive teams in the conference, as they rank second in the league and 20th in Division III in digs per set (10.9). Senior libero Casey Fitzpatrick has been all over the court for Sage, as he has tallied a team-leading 3.4 digs per set, the sixth-most in the country. On offense, sophomore middle Scott Sanders leads the team and is fourth in the nation with a .458 hitting percentage to go along with 90 kills and 31 blocks.
UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles will take a break from league play to take part in the Hiram College Invitational on Saturday, February 24, in Hiram, Ohio. Elmira begins the event with a 10:00 a.m. match against No. 11 Mount St. Joseph.
