Score: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 3, Elmira College 1 (25-20, 23-25, 27-25, 25-19)
Records: MIT (15-6, 4-5 UVC), Elmira (19-9, 5-4 UVC)
Location: Elmira, N.Y. -- Speidel Gymnasium
 
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The No. 15-ranked Elmira College men's volleyball team suffered a 3-1 loss to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology today on Class of 2018 Recognition Day in United Volleyball Conference (UVC) action at Speidel Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. The loss drops EC to the fifth spot in the conference standings heading into the upcoming UVC Tournament.

Despite losing a tie-breaker to make it into the league tournament, the Engineers came to fight in today's match. MIT hit at a .300 attack percentage in the contest, compared to EC's .200 clip, in addition owning leads in assists (52-to-51), blocks (13-to-6) and service aces (5-to-2).

The Soaring Eagles were led in the tilt by an outstanding performance from Jose Malave '21. The freshman from San Juan, Puerto Rico, logged a season-high 17 kill and recorded 10 digs to tally his third double-double in the last four matches. Ryan McDonough '19 floored 12 kills to finish second on the team. Jeremy Best '19 assisted on 47 of EC's 54 kills, which led all players.

In a pregame ceremony, the Soaring Eagles acknowledged Matthew Buffum '18, as the lone graduating member on the roster, for his hard work and dedication for the past four years. Buffum did not disappoint in his final home conference match, as he tallied 10 kills and a .316 hitting percentage in front of the raucous home crowd.

MIT came out in the opening set and set the tone early, taking a 9-5 lead after the first 14 point. Elmira rallied with a 4-1 run of its own to cut the deficit to one, 10-9. After a 5-1 surge by the Engineers, EC's hole had ballooned to five, 15-10, over halfway through the first set. The Soaring Eagles made a few runs at catching MIT, but it proved not to be enough, as Elmira fell by a 25-20 final score.

EC answered in the second set, going ahead, 3-1, early on. MIT responded to the early deficit by retaking the lead later in the frame, 12-10. A 4-0 surge by Elmira swung momentum back in the home team's favor, as the Soaring Eagles owned a 14-12 advantage. After trading points over the next few minutes, the Engineers pulled off a 4-1 run to take a late 21-20 lead. Elmira did not stay down long, however, rallying to win five of the last seven points to take the set, 25-23. Block assists from Malave and Landon Miller '20 sealed the triumph for EC.

With the score tied at 1-1, all eyes were on the third set. The Soaring Eagles came out on fire in the frame, winning seven straight points after losing the first to go ahead 7-1. Malave was sensational to start, as he floored three consecutive kills in the 7-0 run. MIT settled in at that moment and cut its deficit to two, 14-12, over the next few minutes. The Engineers continued to grind away at EC's lead, tying the score at 20-all late in the frame. The teams then started to trade points until Elmira had a pair of set points, which MIT was able to side out. A 3-0 surge by the Engineers gave the road team a hard-fought 27-25 victory in the set.

The fourth started with both teams trading mini-runs. MIT stormed ahead midway through the frame with a 4-0 push, taking a 14-8 lead over the Soaring Eagles. Elmira again had chances to draw the score closer, but the comeback attempt fell short, as the Engineers held on to take the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-1.
 
News and Notes

• The Soaring Eagles fall to 19-9 overall this year.
• The Setback also drops Elmira to fifth in the final UVC standings with a 5-4 record.
• EC's .200 hitting percentage is its lowest since it hit at a .171 clip against Nazareth College on March 25.
• The Engineers improve to 6-3 in the all-time series against Elmira.
• MIT's 13.5 blocks are the third most an EC opponent has tallied this year.
• Malave's 17 kills today are a season-high for the freshman.
• With 17 kills and 10 digs, Malave has tallied a double-double in two consecutive matches and has done it seven times overall this year.
• McDonough has floored double-digit kills in the last seven contests.
• Buffum has hit above .300 in five of the last six tilts.
• Best has recorded 30-plus assists in seven consecutive matches.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to action on Friday, April 6, when they host St. John Fisher College for the team's autism awareness match at Speidel Gymnasium. The contest is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.