Match 1: Oswego State 3, Elmira 1
Match 2: Elmira 3, SUNY Canton 0
Records: Elmira (4-5), Oswego State (9-3), SUNY Canton (7-3)
Location: Oswego, N.Y. - Max Ziel Gymnasium

OSWEGO, N.Y. -- The Elmira College Women's Volleyball wrapped up the Oswego State Invitational on Saturday afternoon, earning one win and one loss to finish the two-day tournament with a 2-2 record.

In their first match of the afternoon, the Soaring Eagles battled tournament hosts, Oswego State, into four sets, but ultimately couldn't overcome the Lakers. In the second match, EC rebounded nicely with a hard-fought straight-set victory over SUNY Canton. Taylor Kaznowski '19 was named to the All-Tournament Team after tallying 118 assists over the two-day affair. 

Match 1
In the first of two highly competitive matches on Saturday afternoon, Elmira squared off against tournament hosts' Oswego State. The Lakers entered the contest on a four-match winning streak as EC aimed to halt their momentum.

The Purple and Gold struck first, taking the first set by a final score of 25-20. Natalie Schieder '19 paced Elmira's attack with four of her match-high 18 kills.  The set was a back-and-forth affair as the score was tied on 12 separate occasions. As the score fluctuated between both sides, EC finally broke ahead at 22-20 after back-to-back kills from Savannah Terry '21 and Lauren Smith '21 forced the Lakers into a timeout. Smith floored another kill coming out of the break before Tiara John '19 earned a match point after tallying an ace. Oswego State misfired on its next attack as EC claimed the set 25-20.

Oswego State was able to outhit the Purple and Gold in the second set, hitting at a .189 clip compared to .082 for the Soaring Eagles. Both sides traded blows to start the set before Oswego state pulled ahead with a lightning-quick 3-0 run to force Elmira into a timeout with the score at 15-11. The Lakers were able to maintain their lead until two kills from Schieder bookended an error by Oswego State to knot the score at 21-21. Tayor Kaznowski '19 and Schieder combined to give EC a set-point chance at 24-22, but the Soaring Eagles couldn't capitalize as Oswego State captured the set, 26-24.

The third set was more of the same as netiher side could gain much of an advantage. EC  pulled ahead with a 3-0 run  as Terry and Smith added kills while John poseted an ace give the Soaring Eagles a 17-14 edge. The Lakers came storming back once again, seizing the lead at 21-19 and holding on from there.
It was all Oswego State in the fourth set as the Lakers hit at .481 clip. EC slipped behind early as Oswego State  opened the set on an 11-3 run. The Soaring Eagles offense couldn't find its rhythm as the Lakers took the set 25-10, and the match 3-1.

Match 2
In their final match of the day, EC grabbed a 3-0 victory over SUNY Canton. Schieder led the way for the Purple and Gold once again with a match-high 15 kills. Kazowski followed up her 36-assist effort against the Lakers with a match-high 29 assists against the Roos.

The score was tight throughout the first set, as both sides had the offense flowing. Canton tallied 15 kills in the set compared to 13 for the Purple and Gold, but EC held a 3-1 advantage in aces. Two straight kills from Schieder forced Canton into a timeout as Elmira pulled ahead at 25-24. The Roos tied it at 25-25, but another kill from Schieder and a miscue by Canton clinched the opening set.

Elmira pulled away in the second set behind a .219 hitting percentage and  4-for-5 mark from Karina Hastings '19. EC came out firing, using an 8-4 run to force the Roos into a timeout. The Soaring Eagles never relinquished the lead, as the set came to a close with back-to-back kills from Hastings and John.
Canton pulled away from the Purple and Gold early in the third set, but two aces from Kasey Campbell '19 eventually knotted the score at 13-13. The two sides traded blows the rest of the way, as the Roos were able to stay alive despite three match-point chances for the Soaring Eagles. Schieder floored a kill to put EC up 28-27 before a miscue by Canton brought the match to a close.

In her own words
Head coach Rhonda Faunce on the team's performance….
"We have been playing better and are still trying to tweak a few things to make us better. We let the Oswego State and St. Lawrence matches' slip away, so making sure we have better service and have better passing in tough situations is a priority for us moving forward."

News and Notes

• Kaznowski has tallied over 20 assists in five matches this season.
• EC earned a win over SUNY Canton at the Oswego State Inviational for the second straight season.
• Elmira hit at its second-highest clip of the season with against the Roos (.175).
• With their 10 service aces against the Lakers, the Soaring Eagles have tallied double-digit aces in six matches.

Up Next
The Purple and Gold host Pitt-Bradford on Monday, September 17, in their home-opener. First serve against the Panthers is set for 6:00 p.m.