Score: No. 12 New York University 3, Elmira College 0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-17)
Records: NYU (16-8), Elmira (20-12)
Location: New York, N.Y. -- Hunter Sportsplex
 
NEW YORK -- The outstanding 2018 season for the Elmira College men's volleyball team came to an end today in the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Quarterfinals with a three-set loss to No. 12 New York University. The event was hosted by the top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology at the Hunter Sportsplex in New York City.

The fifth-ranked Soaring Eagles were unable to overcome a fantastic hitting performance by the No. 4 seeded Violets. NYU maintained a .408 hitting percentage in the contest, compared to Elmira's .188 clip. In addition to outhitting the Purple and Gold, the Violets also owned leads in assists (36-to-28), service aces (9-to-4) and blocks (5-to-4).

Individually, both Jose Malave '21 and Ryan McDonough '19 finished tied for the team lead with eight kills apiece. Malave also paced all players with a match-high seven digs. Jeremy Best '19 was all over the court for EC, as he finished first or tied for first on the team in assists (26), blocks (3) and aces (2).

The most critical set of the match was the first, as both teams were clicking to start the contest. A 7-4 run to start the set gave Elmira the quick lead. A trio of kills by Malave highlighted the run for the Soaring Eagles. The defending UVC champ would not go down without a fight, however, as NYU strung together a 4-0 surge to take an 8-7 lead. The Violets continued their strong play to take a late 23-18 advantage.

With its back against the wall, Elmira did not quite, putting together a 5-1 run to cut the deficit to just one, 24-23. Landon Miller '20 was strong in the push, as he accounted for a kill and an assist. Despite swinging the momentum back in their favor, the Soaring Eagles just missed tying the score, falling 25-23 in the first set.

The second set started off similar to the first, as the scored sat tied at 8-8 after the first 16 points. It was during this period that the Violets ramped up their pressure. The NYU went on a commanding 17-6 run over the final 23 points to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Violets were on fire in the frame, as they hit at a .385 attack percentage.

In the third, NYU again took an early advantage by starting the set with a 6-4 run. Another 3-0 surge by the Violets gave them a four-point advantage, 11-7. Despite some strong play by Elmira, it would not cut its deficit to smaller than three for the remainder of the frame. EC would ultimately suffer a 25-17 setback, which sealed a straight-set loss.  
 
News and Notes

• The Soaring Eagles end the 2018 campaign with a 20-12 record.
• NYU improves its lead in the all-time series to 8-2.
• Today's contest was Elmira's first appearance in the UVC Tournament since the 2015 campaign.
• Matthew Buffum '18 ended the year with a .416 hitting percentage, which is a new program record.
• Buffum's 1.04 blocks-per-set average is the second-best single-season mark in program history.
• Malave's .500 attack percentage is his highest since February 11.
• Malave ends the season with the team lead in digs (210), which is eighth-most in EC single-season history.
• Best ends the year third in single-season history in assists (1,260) and fifth in assists per set (9.77).