Match 1: Ramapo College 3, Elmira College 2 (25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 22-25, 7-15)
Match 2: Lancaster Bible College 3, Elmira College 0 (15-25, 23-25, 21-25)
Records: Elmira (8-12), Lancaster Bible (16-3), Ramapo (8-9)
Location: Horst Athletic Center – Lancaster, Pa.

LANCASTER, Pa. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team squared-off with a pair of tough opponents on Saturday afternoon as the Soaring Eagles challenged Ramapo College and Lancaster Bible College. Despite solid efforts in both matches, EC was unable to best the competition, as the Purple and Gold fell in both matchups.

Match 1
The Soaring Eagles opened the day with a wire-to-wire battle against the Roadrunners of Ramapo College, as the two sides went the distance for the second time this season. Unfortunately for the Purple and Gold, the result went the other way on Saturday, as Ramapo  grabbed a 15-7 win in the fifth set to steal the match.

Elmira received a pair of stellar performances from Ryan McDonough '19 and Dan Symer '19, who finished tied for the match-lead with 17 kills apiece. Classmate Ryan Branigan '19 had a career-day, as the Massapequa, New York, native set a new program record with 28 digs against the Roadrunners. Jeremy Best '19 pulled the strings offensively with a match-high 48 assists.

Despite the stellar efforts by the Purple and Gold, Ramapo was able to match EC every step of the way, as a quartet of players finished with eight kills or more, headlined by Stephen Codispodo, who posted 16 kills. The Roadrunners found their offense when it counted, as they hit .303 and .462 in the fourth and fifth sets, respectively, to seal the victory from the Soaring Eagles.

EC rolled past the Roadrunners in the opening set, 25-17, as a late 5-0 run pushed the Purple and Gold ahead for good. Ramapo responded in the second set, as the Roadrunners ended the set with a 3-0 run to knot the match at 1-1.

The back-and-forth continued into the third set, as the Purple and Gold bounced back with a 25-20 victory. The Soaring Eagles went up for good in the set following a 4-0 run that featured a kill and a block from McDonough. Despite taking a two-sets-to-one lead, the Purple and Gold couldn't fend off the Roadrunners, as Ramapo seized the momentum in the fourth and rolled through the fifth set to seal the victory. 

Match 2
In the second match of the day, the Soaring Eagles took on the No. 12-ranked Chargers of Lancaster Bible College. The Purple and Gold battled with Lancaster Bible, but in the end, the Chargers high-octane offense led the home side to victory.

Once again, McDonough kept EC in the match, as the senior tallied a team-high 10 kills. Despite McDonough's efforts, the pair of Kole Horst and Nate Miller led the way for Lancaster Bible, who finished with 10 and 11 kills, respectively. The Chargers hit at a .315 clip over the three sets, as EC was unable to match Lancaster Bible at the net.

After dropping the opening set, Elmira looked poised to rebound in the second set. After slipping behind early, the Soaring Eagles seized a 22-20 edge following a 3-0 run spurred on by a kill from McDonough. Lancaster Bible knotted the score at 22-22, but Garrett Coleman '20 floored a kill to put the set back into the Soaring Eagles' favor. EC couldn't hang on however, as the Chargers took the final three points of the set.

With the momentum in the Chargers' grasp, Lancaster Bible seized an early lead in the final set. Elmira chipped away as the set marched on, taking an 11-10 lead following a huge block form Landon Miller '20 and Best. Lancaster Bible answered immediately, as EC never got closer than that, falling in the final set, 25-21.

News and Notes

• Branigan's 28 digs against Ramapo broke the single-game program for digs (22) set by former All-American Rob Shade '15 in 2013.
• McDonough finished with 27 kills.
• Best has now tallied over 40 assists in nine matches this season.
• Symer's 17 kills were a season-high.
• McDonough has registered double-digit kills in four-consecutive matches.
• Joseph Amoddio '21 posted a season-high five kills against Ramapo.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return home on Friday, March 8, to host Mount St. Joseph University in non-conference action. Opening serve against the Lions is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.