OSWEGO, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's volleyball dropped its opening match at the Oswego State Invitational on Friday evening, as the Soaring Eagles fell in a three-set battle to non-conference foe SUNY Canton.

The Soaring Eagles (3-7) were unable to string together a consistent attack inside of Oswego's Max Ziel Gymnasium, finishing the match with a .117 team hitting percentage compared to a .227 clip from the Roos (1-8).

Elmira's main offensive threat was once again junior Lauren Smith '21. The Covington, Pennsylvania, native paced EC with eight kills. Lydia Milligan '21 and Savannah Terry '21 chipped in with five and four kills, respectively. Unfortunately, the classmates' production was not enough for Elmira to beat out Canton, as the Roos' Tatum Lafrance floored a match-high 10 kills.

After falling in the opening set, 25-15, the Soaring Eagles battled back in a hotly contested second frame. EC surged ahead of Canton early, using a 4-0 run highlighted by a pair of kills from Smith to take an 8-2 lead. The Roos came roaring back to knot the score at 8-8 as the two sides traded blows throughout the middle of the set. A kill from Milligan and a Canton miscue gave EC a 24-23 lead late, but the Roos rattled off three consecutive points to take the set, 26-24.

The third and final set of the evening was another back-and-forth affair. After slipping behind early in the set, the Soaring Eagles punctuated a 4-0 run with a block from Terry and Milligan to tie the set at 17-17. The Purple and Gold traded blows with Canton, but two consecutive aces from the Roos sealed a 25-21 victory.

News and Notes

• Jena Gatto '20 led EC with 11 digs.
• With 13 assists against Canton, Kassi Hastings '21 has tallied double-digit assists in nine consecutive matches.
• Milligan and Terry finished with two blocks apiece.
• Cassie Potter '20 and Kelsey Lofvenborg '22 both registered two service aces.
• Smith has recorded eight or more kills in five matches this season.

Up Next
The Purple and Gold are back on the court on Saturday afternoon to close out the Oswego State Invitational with a pair off matches against the host Lakers and Clarkson. EC will take on Oswego State at 11:00 a.m. before wrapping up the tournament against the Golden Knights at 1:00 p.m.