Score: SUNY Poly 3, Elmira College 2 (21-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 15-8)
Score: Elmira College 3, Wilson College 1 (25-14, 25-17, 22-25, 25-16)
Records: Elmira (20-11), SUNY Poly (12-14), Wilson (6-11)
Location: MARCY, N.Y. -- Wildcat Fieldhouse
 
MARCY, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team bounced back from a crushing five-set loss to SUNY Poly by defeating Wilson College 3-1 to conclude play at the SUNY Poly Invitational with a 1-1 record. Today's event brings an end the EC's 2018 regular season.

For the second consecutive match, the Soaring Eagles saw a two-sets-to-none lead get away from them. Elmira started this contest off with 25-21 and 25-23 wins in the first and second frames, respectively. EC outhit SUNY Poly in both sets, hitting their peak with a .346 hitting percentage in the second. It was at this point that the Wildcats, who were celebrating Senior Day, amped up their play and hit at .464 and .462 clips in the third and fourth frames to force a decisive fifth set.

With the momentum firmly in hand of the home team, SUNY Poly stormed ahead 10-4 after the first 14 points. EC could not find an answer in the frame, ultimately falling by a 15-8 final score.

Matthew Buffum '18 was fantastic in the contest, as he tallied 10 kills and five blocks with a .615 attack percentage. Dan Symer '19 paced the Purple and Gold with 13 kills and 11 digs. Garrett Coleman '20 tallied a career-best 11 kills against the Wildcats, in addition to recording nine digs. Jeremy Best '19 continued his strong junior season with 47 assists on Elmira's 52 kills.

The Soaring Eagles did not let the disappointment from their opening match affect them in the second bout of the day. EC opened the match with a convincing 25-14 win in the first set. With the score tied at 4-4, Elmira took a stranglehold on the frame by winning nine of the next 11 points to take a 13-6 lead, an advantage that it would not relinquish.

In the second set, Elmira again took a commanding lead mid-set with an extended run. Up by just one, 7-6, early on, EC put together a 7-1 surge to take a 14-7 lead. Symer floored two of his five kills in the match in the second. A 4-0 surge later in the frame gave the Purple and Gold a 21-12 lead that would turn into a 25-17 win.

A 25-22 victory for the Phoenix in the third set meant Elmira and Wilson were heading to a fourth frame. Following two straight losses after winning the first two sets, the Soaring Eagles looked motivated to stop this streak in its tracks. The Purple and Gold took the early lead in the fourth frame by winning nine of the first 11 points to take a 9-2 advantage. Symer was incredible in the run, as he tallied four aces. Elmira held tight to this lead, sealing the win with a 4-0 surge to end the set with a 25-16 victory.  

In his final collegiate regular-season bout, Buffum posted his second consecutive strong outing with match highs in kills (13) and hitting percentage (.632). Coleman logged a career-best 11 digs against the Phoenix to go along with eight kills. Symer posted a career-high six service aces in the win, which stands as one-fourth of his season total (24). Best recorded a match-high 37 assists in the contest.
 
 
News and Notes

• The Soaring Eagles end the 2018 regular season with a 20-11 record.
• Elmira concludes the season with a 15-7 mark in non-conference play.
• EC has dropped three straight five-set contests and is 8-5 in those bouts this year.
• The Soaring Eagles' 10 aces against the Phoenix are the second most that the team has recorded in 2018.
• SUNY Poly's 62 kills in the opener are the second most that an EC opponent has posted this year.
• Symer posted a career-high six aces against Wilson.
• With 13 kills and 11 digs in the first match against SUNY Poly, Symer has recorded four double-doubles as a junior.
• Coleman tallied a career-high 11 kills in the opening match and a career-best 11 digs in the second contest.
• Buffum has floored double-digit kills in each of the last four matches.
• Buffum's .632 attack percentage against Wilson marks his second-best hitting percentage this season when he has posted 10-plus kills.
• Best has assisted in 30-plus kills in 10 straight tilts.

 
Up Next
With the regular season over, the Soaring Eagles will set their sights on the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Tournament. The fifth-seeded Elmira men will kick off the event with a 5:00 p.m. showdown against the fourth-seeded Violets of No. 11 New York University. The tournament will be hosted by the Stevens Institute of Technology on the campus of Hunter College in New York City.