Score: No. 15 Elmira College 3, The Sage Colleges 0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-18)
Records: Elmira (12-4, 3-0 UVC), Sage (7-7, 1-1 UVC)
Location: Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. -- Stevenson Athletic Center
 
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. -- The No. 15-ranked Elmira College men's volleyball team defeated The Sage Colleges today in straight sets in United Volleyball Conference (UVC) action at the Stevenson Athletic Center on the campus of Bard College. With the win, the Soaring Eagles improve to 3-0 in league play this season.

In the first set, sloppy play by the Gators allowed EC to storm ahead by seven points, 14-7, midway through the frame. A few moments later, the Soaring Eagles built on their lead with a 5-1 run that was started by a Matt Straney '20 kill, one of his three in the set. Following a rally by Sage, Elmira finished off the frame with a 25-15 victory following another Straney kill.

The second set was much more tightly contested, as the score was tied at 12-all after the first 24 points. It was at this moment that Sage would take the advantage in the set, 16-14. Elmira answered by scoring five of the next six points to retake the lead, 19-17. Landon Miller '20 was critical to the run, as he tallied a block and a kill in the span. After going back and forth for the next couple of minutes, EC closed out the set by taking the final two points. A Garrett Coleman '20 kill put the Purple and Gold up by a score of 24-22, before Matthew Buffum '18 finished off the set with a kill of his own.

Elmira was now one set away from earning its sixth straight-set victory of the season. The Soaring Eagles started off the third strong, going ahead 5-3 by winning five of the first eight points. After trading points for a good portion of the frame, the Gators had cut the deficit to just one, 14-13. This led to EC taking four of the next five points to take an 18-14 advantage. The Purple and Gold maintained this lead for the remainder of the set, sealing the victory with a 3-0 run to end the frame. Jeremy Best '19 capped of an all-around performance by Elmira with a service ace to give EC the 25-18 set win and the 3-0 match victory.

The story of today's contest came down to hitting efficiency, as the Purple and Gold's .320 attacking clip was too much for Sage to handle. On the other hand, the Gators' .123 hitting percentage prevented them from keeping the match competitive at points. EC also came up strong defensively, as it posted 11 blocks, compared to Sage's six.

Individually, it was an all-around team effort, as Ryan McDonough '19 (8), Miller (7) and Buffum (7) all tallied at least seven kills. Miller also posted a match-high seven blocks, which was closely followed by Best (5) and Buffum (4). Both McDonough and Buffum finished tied for the team lead in hitting percentage with .500 clips.
 
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Daniel Miranda shares his thoughts on going a perfect 2-0 this weekend in UVC action…
"The middles really established themselves this weekend. The liberos gave us great opportunities to make some solid plays. Jeremy Best distributed the ball well and made some phenomenal decisions. Ryan McDonough and Matthew Buffum's leadership this year has been second to none. I couldn't have asked for a better start to conference play."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira improved to 12-4 overall and a perfect 3-0 in conference play so far in 2018.
• The Soaring Eagles have not started 3-0 in league play since the 2012 campaign.
• EC is 6-2 in three-set matches this year and has won its last three.
• As a team, Elmira has posted an attack percentage above .300 six times this year.
• The Purple and Gold have recorded double-digit blocks in two consecutive matches and six times overall.
• EC had just six service errors today, the team's second-lowest total of the season.
• With the victory, Elmira improves to 2-1 in the all-time series against Sage. 
• Miller's seven blocks today are a new career high for the sophomore.
• McDonough's .500 attack percentage today is his highest total of the season when he has posted at least 10 attempts.
• Best has tallied at least 30 assists in six of the last seven contests.
• Buffum has it above .500 seven times this season.
• Coleman posted a season-high four kills today.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will take a short hiatus from conference play to make a return trip to Ohio to take part in the Hiram College Invitational on Saturday, February 24. EC will begin the event with a rematch against No. 11 Mount St. Joseph at 10:00 a.m., before challenging first-year program Hiram at 12:00 p.m.