Match 1: Elmira College 3, The Sage Colleges 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-22)
Match 2: Wells College 4, Elmira College 1 (17-25, 19-25, 25-20, 16-25)
Records: Elmira (12-17, 2-7 E8), Sage (8-16, 1-8 E8), Wells (22-8, 5-3 NEAC)
Location: Speidel Gymnasium – Elmira, N.Y.

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team split a pair of matches to close out the Soaring Eagle Invite on Saturday afternoon. The Soaring Eagles picked up a 3-0 win over United Volleball Conference (UVC) foe The Sage Colleges, before falling to Wells College in four sets in their final home match of the season. Prior to today's bout against the Express, the Soaring Eagles recognized their six members of the Class of 2019 for their contributions to the program.

Match 1
The Soaring Eagles rolled past Sage in their first match of the day, picking up a straight-sets victory. EC outhit the Gators in all but one set on Saturday afternoon ending the match with a .278 hitting percentage. Senior Ryan McDonough '19 led the way for the Purple and Gold with a match-high 16 kills while swinging at a stellar .464 clip.

Jeremy Best '19 posted 28 assists, while Ryan Branigan '19 added a match-high 10 digs to round out an all-around performance from the Soaring Eagles.

The Purple and Gold jumped out to a big lead in the opening set, as a 4-0 run highlighted by back-to-back kills from McDonough pushed EC ahead 16-5. The Gators didn't go quietly, as they clawed back into the set with a 4-0 run of their own to pull within four at 24-20. The Purple and Gold responded immediately however, as Garrett Coleman '20 floored a kill to seal the opener.

The second stanza followed suit, as the Soaring Eagles raced out to a 14-3 lead on the heels of a 5-0 run, punctuated by another kill from McDonough. EC cruised from there, as a trio of kills from Joseph Amoddio '21 ensured the Purple and Gold took a two-sets-to-none advantage.

Sage was able to sneak out in front of the Soaring Eagles in the third set, 11-6, following a block from Scott Sanders and Ryan Jennings. Elmira wasted little time getting back into the set with a 4-0 run that pulled the Purple and Gold within one. After trading points back-and-forth, EC seized the lead for good at 17-16, as Matt Amoddio '22 eventually brought the match to a close with his fourth kill.

Match 2
The Soaring Eagles battled Wells into four sets in their final home game of the season, but EC was unable to keep up with the hot-hitting Express. Wells posted a .308 team hitting percentage, led by Robert Patzer with 16 kills. McDonough led EC with a double-double on 13 kills and 11 digs.

After dropping the first two sets of the match, the Soaring Eagles dug deep and rallied in the third. An early 5-0 run that featured a pair of kills from Landon Miller '20 pushed EC ahead, 7-3. Elmira rolled from there, as a 4-0 run, kick-started by a kill from Dan Symer '19, gave the Soaring Eagles a 19-12 advantage. Wells managed to pull back within two, but EC took the last three points to force a fourth set.

After sticking with the Express early on in the fourth set, Wells used a 5-0 run to swing the momentum in its favor. The Soaring Eagles pulled back within three following an ace from Symer and a miscue by the Express. Unfortunately, that was as close as EC came to Wells, as the visitors took the final set, 25-16.

News and Notes

• Elmira improved to 3-1 all-time against Sage.
• Best finished with 61 assists across both matches.
• Best has now registered 1,000 assists in back-to-back seasons.
• McDonough posted his third double-double of the season against Wells.
• McDonough ranks third all-time in program history with 1,170 kills.
• Symer's 11 digs against Wells were a season-high.
• Branigan posted double-digit digs for the 11th time this season.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles close out the regular season on the road on Saturday, April 6, at the Misericordia Tri-Match. Elmira will battle Messiah College at 3:00 p.m. before taking on host Misericordia University at 5:00 p.m.