Score: Elmira College 3, St. John Fisher College 1 (25-13, 25-22, 21-25, 25-20)
Records: Elmira (18-7, 4-2 UVC), Fisher (12-11, 0-6 UVC)
Location: Rochester, N.Y. -- Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Athletic Center
 
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team picked up a crucial United Volleyball Conference (UVC) victory today with a 3-1 win over St. John  Fisher College on the campus of the Cardinals in Rochester, New York. Today's bout marked the EC's first-ever meeting versus the first-year program of Fisher.

The Soaring Eagles earned today's victory with a strong hitting performance, as Elmira ended the bout with a stellar .333 hitting percentage. This efficient hitting outing was bookended by .526 and .600 attack percentages in the first and fourth sets, respectively. On the other hand, the Cardinals hit at a .146 clip in a losing effort. EC also held advantages over Fisher in assists (44-to-33), blocks (14-to-5) and aces (7-to-2).

Jose Malave '21 led the way for the Purple and Gold with an all-around strong performance. The San Juan, Puerto Rico, native posted his fifth double-double of the season with match highs in both kills (16) and digs (12), while owning a .433 attacking percentage. Matthew Buffum '18 also had an outstanding day, as he posted a match-best .563 hitting percentage to go along with 10 kills and six blocks. Jeremy Best '19 ended the day with 42 assists on EC's 50 kills.

In the opening set of the contest, the Soaring Eagles lost the first point before taking the next six to storm ahead 6-1. Ryan McDonough '19 accounted for three of the points with a trio of service aces. Another 4-0 push later in the frame further expanded Elmira's advantage to 12, 20-8.  Following a 5-0 run by the Cardinals, the Purple and Gold ended the set with a 5-0 surge of their own. Malave posted three of the points in the run, including the set winner, 25-13.

The second set of the match started similarly to the first, as Elmira stormed ahead by a 7-4 score. EC maintained this lead by trading points for the next few minutes, until Fisher cut the Soaring Eagles' advantage to one, 22-21, with a 4-0 push.However, this adversity did not deter Elmira, as it closed the match with a 3-1 run to take the second, 25-22.

After a hard-fought 25-21 loss to the Cardinals in the third set, EC and Fisher were headed to a fourth. In the frame, both teams traded points to start, until an Elmira 6-1 run gave the Purple and Gold an 11-8 lead. More back-and-forth play ensued until Elmira found itself ahead by a set-high five points, 23-18. The Purple and Gold sealed the four-set win by taking two of the final four points, the winner coming from a McDonough kill. 
 
In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Daniel Miranda shares his thoughts on today's important conference win…
"First and foremost, the boys are rolling. We started off extremely aggressive and it paid off for us with great team blocks and offensive efficiency. We went into this weekend with a playoff mentality and it's paying dividends."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira improves to 18-7 overall and 4-2 in UVC play this season.
• The Soaring Eagles met the Cardinals for the first time in program history today.
• EC recorded a season-high 14 total blocks against Fisher.
• Elmira has tallied seven aces in its last three tilts.
• Malave's 16 kills are a season high, while his 12 digs tied a season-best mark.
• Landon Miller '20 tied a season-best with seven blocks on the afternoon.
• Buffum has hit above .500 in two of EC's last three matches.
• With 11 kills against Fisher, McDonough has floored double-digit kills in seven of the last eight contests.
• Best tied a season-high with six blocks.
• Best has posted 30-plus assists in four straight bouts.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles conclude play at this weekend's UVC tri-match with a bout against Nazareth College tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Athletic Center in Rochester.