Score: Elmira College 3, Hiram College 0 (28-26, 25-12, 25-14)
Score: Elmira College 3, Baruch College 1 (25-17, 25-19, 24-26, 25-22)
Records: Elmira (17-7), Hiram (4-20), Baruch (11-12)
Location: Rochester, N.Y. -- Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Athletic Center
 
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team bested both Hiram College and Baruch College at the St. John Fisher Invitational today in Rochester, New York. The Soaring Eagles began the event with a straight-set win over the Terriers, before topping Baruch, 3-1, in the finale.

In the opening match of the day, EC followed a tightly-contested first set with strong performances in the second and third frames to cruise to the 3-0 victory. Elmira posted a .266 hitting percentage in the contest, compared to Hiram's -.093 clip. The Purple and Gold also held sizable advantages in assists (37-to-18), blocks (11-to-4) and service aces (7-to-2).

Ryan McDonough '19 paced all players with a match-high 10 kills. Garrett Coleman '20 finished next for the Soaring Eagles with nine kills on 14 attempts, as he also logged a .400 attack percentage. Jeremy Best '19 paced the team with 34 assists on EC's 38 kills. Matthew Buffum '18 was a terror on defense with a match-high seven blocks.

The Terriers started off on fire in the first set, as they were able to take a quick 5-0 advantage. A timeout by EC got the troops back in order, as Elmira scored five of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 8-5. The Soaring Eagles needed another timeout following a strong stretch by Hiram that expanded its lead to nine points, 17-8. The Purple and Gold answered with a massive 11-3 push to put the score at 20-19 in the Terriers' favor. This new momentum carried through the rest of the set, as EC would take its first lead, 23-22, and never look back, winning the frame 28-26.

Elmira posted similar numbers in both the second and third sets. EC stormed out to an early lead in both to set the momentum. This early advantage was not challenged, as the Soaring Eagles went on to win the second 25-12 and the third 25-14.

In the second match of the day, Elmira and Baruch fought to a 3-1 decision, with the Soaring Eagles earning revenge for its season-opening loss to the Bearcats on January 19. The Purple and Gold were the more effective team in the bout, as they hit at a .301 attack percentage, compared to Baruch's mark of .183. EC also took advantage of doing the little things, as it owned a 7-to-1 lead in aces and a 10-to-5 advantage in blocks.

For the fourth consecutive match, McDonough paced the Soaring Eagles in kills (18), in addition to posting 10 digs for his third double-double this season. Dan Symer '19 recorded one of the best games of his career with a career-high 16 kills to go along with a team-high .382 hitting percentage. Buffum tallied six blocks in the triumph, which gave him a whopping 13 on the afternoon. Best assisted on 54 of EC's 61 kills in the match, his second-highest this season.

The opening set of the second match started with both teams trading points. Elmira took the first substantial lead, 12-8, with a 3-0 run mid-set. From that point, the two teams against started to alternate points, until a 5-0 push by EC gave it a 21-14 advantage. Sophomore Landon Miller '20 started the push with one of his 10 kills in the bout, while McDonough capped it off. Elmira's advantage maintained for the remainder of the set, as a 25-17 win for the Purple and Gold put them up 1-0.  

For the second consecutive frame, Elmira and Baruch remained close for the early portion of the set. This time, the Bearcats would take the first substantial lead, going ahead 13-11 after the first 24 points. EC answered with a 4-0 push of its own a few moments later to take an 18-16 advantage. This momentum carried through the remainder of the set, as the Soaring Eagles won seven of the last 10 points to win the frame, 25-19.

Following a hard-fought 26-24 setback in the third frame, Elmira had to find an answer in the fourth. The score was neck-and-neck for much of the fourth frame, as the score sat tied at 17-all after the first 34 points. At that moment, Elmira went on a 4-2 surge to take a 21-19 advantage. McDonough accounted for three of the points on his own with two kills and on an ace. A 3-0 push by the Bearcats gave them a late 22-21 lead and prompted an EC timeout. The message in that short break must have been just what the team needed, as Elmira reeled off the next four points to win the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-1. Symer floored the final two kills for EC, both coming from assists by Best.
 
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Daniel Miranda shares his thoughts on today's sweep at the St. John Fisher Invitational…
"We had arguably our best performance from our team as a whole in today's two matches. A lot of the issues that we have struggled with in the previous matches are beginning to get cleaned up. Our pin blockers of Jeremy Best, Dan Symer, Ryan McDonough and Garrett Coleman really came alive and worked with both of our middles. The defense picked up everything and we sided out well. I am looking to carry this momentum into next week's conference matches."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira improves to 17-7 overall on the season.
• EC is 7-3 in three-set matches this year.
• The Soaring Eagles also improved to 9-3 in neutral-site matches in 2018.
• Elmira has won its last five non-conference bouts.
• EC's 58 assists against the Bearcats are tied for the second-highest total for the team this season.
• Symer floored a career-high 16 kills in the win over Baruch.  
• McDonough has led the team in kills for four straight tilts.
• McDonough's 18 kills versus the Bearcats are tied for the second-most he has logged this year.
• In the match against Baruch, McDonough posted his third double-double as a junior (18k-10d)
• Best's 54 assists against the Bearcats is his second-highest total as a junior.
• With 54 helpers, Best as amassed 30-plus assists in three straight matches.
• With 13 blocks today, Buffum now leads the United Volleyball Conference with 104 this season.
• Buffum became the program leader in total blocks today, as he has 318 in his illustrious career.
• Miller's 10 kills against Baruch marked his fourth double-digit kills performance this year.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles head to their final road UVC tri-match of the season on Saturday and Sunday, March 24-25, on the campus of St. John Fisher. Elmira will battle the first-year Cardinals on Saturday at 4:00 p.m., before squaring off against long-time rival Nazareth College at 1:00 p.m. the following afternoon.