ELMIRA, N.Y. -- For the first time since 2013, the Elmira College women's volleyball team opened Empire 8 Conference action with a victory, as the Soaring Eagles (4-9, 1-0 E8) swept Hartwick College (7-5, 0-1 E8) on Wednesday night.
 
Elmira edged Hartwick in the opening two sets, 27-25 and 29-27, before winning the third set routinely by a 25-20 score. For the Soaring Eagles, it marked their first win over the Hawks since 2016.
 
EC utilized only seven players in tonight's lineup, but all seven played a crucial role. Middle hitters Kaylene Sauschuck '22 and Savannah Terry '21 were ultra-efficient on the attack and finished with 18 combined kills. Sauschuck produced 10 kills on 18 attempts with zero errors for a hitting percentage of 55.6, while Terry hit at a 43.6% clip on an 8k-1e-16ta stat line. As good as the duo was on the attack, they were just as impressive on the defensive side of the ball, racking up two blocks apiece. Terry also added a team-high two service aces, while Sauschuck pitched in one.
 
Lauren Smith '21 logged a double-double, as she tied for the team lead in kills with 10 and finished second in digs with 14. Lydia Milligan '21 chipped in eight kills, one ace, and registered a career-high 15 digs. Rookie Amelia Martin '23 added six kills, six digs and a pair of assists.
 
Kassi Hastings '21 once again orchestrated the Elmira attack, as Windsor, New York, native dished out her second-highest assist total of the season with 38. She also added one kill and four digs.
 
Defensively, Cassie Potter '20 had a stellar night as EC's starting libero. The native of Endicott, New York, tied her season-high dig total with 13, marking the fourth time this season she has gone for 10-plus digs in a single match.
 
Elmira led for the bulk of the first set, leading by as many as four points, and had two set points at 24-22. However, a kill by Kaitlyn Ludder and a service ace from Katie Boak evened the set score at 24-24. The two teams traded points, before Sauschuck produced one of her 10 kills and Martin served up one of her two aces to secure the first set, 27-25.
 
The lead in the second set teetered back in forth, as both squads went up by as many as three points on several occasions, but Hartwick grabbed control of the lead late in the set at 22-19. Elmira rallied for three straight points, two of which came from Sauschuck on a kill and an ace, which tied the score at 22-22.
 
From there, Hartwick claimed the next point, but back-to-back kills from Milligan gave the Purple and Gold a set point at 24-23. The Hawks survived the next point, as the two teams traded point-for-point until the score reached 27-all. Thankfully for EC, a service error and an attack error by the Hawks handed the Soaring Eagles a 29-27 second-set win.
 
In the third set, the Hawks swung the momentum in their favor and took their largest lead of the set at 14-9. However, the powerful serving from Terry and a gritty all-around performance by Elmira saw the Soaring Eagles rattle off seven consecutive points to take a 16-14 lead.
 
Hartwick answered with back-to-back points, tying the score at 16-16, but the Elmira women pieced together another 7-0 run to take a commanding lead at 23-16. During that run, Smith produced three kills and a solo block. The Hawks eventually cut the Elmira lead to 24-20, but it was too little too late, as Smith finished off the visitors with her 10th kill of the night to secure a 3-0 win.
 
 
In His Own Words
Head Coach Daniel Miranda shares his thoughts on tonight's win…
"I'm beyond proud of how our team played tonight. They trusted one another and made plays we've known we could make. Our middles had unbelievable performances and our team was solid defensively. It was exactly the way we hoped to start the off conference play. I'm looking forward to keep establishing ourselves this weekend in Canton."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira opened E8 play with a win for the first time since 2013.
• EC snapped a three-match skid against Hartwick.
• Elmira secured its first 3-0 sweep of the season.
• Sauschuck tied her career-high kill total with 10.
• Smith produced her fourth match of the season with double-digit kills.
• Smith registered her first double-double of the year.
• The 38 assists from Hastings was her second-highest total of the season.
• Hastings has logged 30-plus assists in four matches this year.
• Potter tied her season-high dig total with 13.
• Milligan's 15 digs were a career high.

Up Next
Elmira returns to action this Saturday, September 21, when the Soaring Eagles travel to take part in the SUNY Canton Tri-Match. EC opens the tri-match against the host Roos of SUNY Canton at 11:00 a.m., before closing out the day against Plattsburgh State at 1:00 p.m.