ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team kicks off United Volleyball Conference (UVC) play on Sunday, February 11, at an EC tri-match at Speidel Gymnasium. The Soaring Eagles open play against league foe Bard College at 11:00 a.m., before closing the event at 4:00 p.m. with a non-conference showdown against Misericordia University at 4:00 p.m.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles rallied to defeat Nazareth College in non-conference action on Wednesday. After dropping the two of the first three sets, Elmira came back to win both the fourth and fifth to earn its first-ever victory over the Golden Flyers at Naz's Kidera Gymnasium. Juniors
Ryan McDonough '19 and
Dan Symer '19 led the Purple and Gold in the win, as they paced the team with 15 and 14 kills, respectively. EC employed an all-out team effort at the net, as
Matthew Buffum '18 (6),
Jeremy Best '19 (5) and
Landon Miller '20 (4) all ended the match with at least four blocks. Best also had a stellar performance as EC's setter, as he assisted on 44 of Elmira's 51 kills in the contest.
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HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
Elmira's two bouts this weekend will be its last two home matches until March 30. This is unfortunate for the Purple and Gold, as they have historically played well at Speidel Gymnasium. In 2018, Elmira is a perfect 4-0 at home after sweeping all four matches at the EC Invite on January 26-27. Over the five previous seasons, the Soaring Eagles have posted only one non-winning record on their home court.
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SCOUTING BARD
The Raptors enter this weekend with an 0-7 record to start the 2018 campaign. So far this season, Bard has won just three sets and has four straight-set defeats to its name. A big reason for these struggles is that the Raptors have not been able to generate an effective attack. Bard ranks last in the 10-team UVC in kills perset (7.0), assists per set (6.5), and hitting percentage (.082). This has put a tremendous strain on the Raptors' defense. Sophomore Tristan Kozul has done a majority of the digging on the team, as he paces Bard and ranks second in the league in digs per set (3.42). Offensively, seniors Tyler Zowaski (50) and Stefan Briggs (49) have been the team's best attackers, as they are first and second on the Raptors in kills this season.
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SCOUTING MISERICORDIA
With a 4-5 overall record and an 0-2 mark in the inaugural season of men's volleyball in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC), the Cougars are still trying to find their footing this season. A 3-1 setback to Stevenson University in its most recent bout on Thursday resulted in Misericordia's second conference loss of the young campaign. The Soaring Eagles and Cougars have two common opponents so far this year, as they have both challenged Penn State Altoona and Cairn. Elmira went 2-0 against those two teams, winning both in straight sets, while the Cougars topped Cairn (3-1), but fell to Penn State Altoona in three. One of Misericordia's strongest attributes this year has been its service game, as it is second in the MAC and 13th in the country in aces per set (2.03). Bailey Brugler and Caleb Bauder have led this success at the service line, as both pace the team with 17 aces. Freshman Ryan Miller has been another critical component of the Cougars' attack with a team-leading 111 kills this season.
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UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles continue United Volleyball Conference (UVC) play on Saturday, February 17, when they play SUNY New Paltz in a UVC Tri-Match at Bard. The bout is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. at the Stevenson Athletic Center in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
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