Match 1: Elmira 3, New England College 0
Match 2: Plymouth State 3, Elmira 2
Records: Elmira (1-1), New England College (2-4), Plymouth State (5-1)
Location: Bridges Gym - Henniker, N.H.

Henniker, N.H.  -- The Elmira College women's volleyball team opened the 2018 campaign with a split at the Granite State Challenge on the campus of New England College on Friday evening. The Soaring Eagles earned a win their first match of the day against the host Pilgrims, before falling in a five-set battle to Plymouth State University in the nightcap.

Match 1
Elmira cruised to a straight-set victory (25-18, 25-19, 25-19) over New England College in its first action of the 2018 season. The teams traded blows for the majority of the opening set as neither side was able to establish much offensive rhythm. Behind the serving of Kasey Campbell '19 EC was able to jump out to a 17-12 lead and never looked back as a Taylor Kaznowski '19 ace sealed the first set.

The second set was much of the same as the teams jockeyed for an advantage. Back-to-back kills from Kaylene Sauschuck '22 and Natalie Schieder '19 knotted the score at 12-12 before a setting error by the Pilgrims put EC up by one. Sauschuck added another kill to make it 14-12 as Elmira went up for good, taking a 2-0 advantage into the third set.

Elmira used a 4-0 run to build an early 12-5 lead in the final set as Schieder floored four-straight kills to give the Purple and Gold a seven-point advantage. EC forced New England into a timeout with the score at 17-9 before Lydia Milligan registered a kill to make it 19-10. It was smooth sailing from there as Elmira sealed the 25-19 win to take the match.

Match 2
The second match of the day for the Purple and Gold was a battle, as the Soaring Eagles went the distance against Plymouth State. After dropping the first two sets, Elmira came roaring back to take the third set by a final score of 25-18.

EC used an 8-0 run as the set was winding down to pounce on the Panthers. Kaznowski  and Schieder floored back-to-back kills to force Plymouth State into a timeout with the score at 19-17. A series of mental mistakes from the Panthers put Elmira up 23-17 before Schieder added another of her match-leading 23 kills to make it 24-17. Plymouth State grabbed two points back but EC held on to force a fourth set.

The fourth set was all-Elmira as a 7-0 run midway through the set put the Soaring Eagles up for good. Schieder paved the way with four kills during the run, while Kaznowski closed the set out with an ace.

The fifth and final set was another back-and-forth affair, as the score was tied on five occasions. Elmira slipped behind early in the set as the Panthers forced the Soaring Eagles into a timeout with the score at 11-9. A kill from Schieder tied the set at 14-14 and an attacking error by Plymouth State put EC in a match-point scenario. The Panthers were able to regroup however and stole the final set to steal the 3-2 victory.

News and Notes

• Scheider paced the Soaring Eagles in kills in both matches, flooring 17 against the Pilgrims and 23 against the Panthers.
• Kaznowski tallied a team-high 73 assists across both matches.
• In the first game of her collegiate career against New England, Sauschuck finished second on the team with six kills.

Up Next
The Purple and  Gold are back in action on Saturday afternoon for the second day of the Granite State Challenge. EC will battle Keene State University at noon, before closing the tournament against RIT at 2:00 p.m.