ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team opened the 2020 campaign at the Cardinal Classic, hosted by St. John Fisher College, on Friday evening and fell short to the country's 11th-ranked team in Wells College, 3-0 [25-18, 25-18, 25-21]. With tonight's result, Elmira is 0-1 and the Express of Wells improved to 5-0.
 
Rookie Tyler Anderson '23 paced the Purple and Gold's offense with seven kills on 19 attempts and two errors (26.3%). He also tied for the team lead in digs (6) and blocks (6), and finished with the team's lone service ace. Anderson produced five block assists, as well as a solo block. Fellow rookie Eric Jackson '23 was close behind in the kills column with five.
 
Senior Matt Straney '20 tied for the team lead in blocks with six, which included five block assists and one solo block. Freshman talent Luke Milligan '23 chipped in on the defensive side of the ball with six digs, which tied for the team lead.
 
Garrett Coleman '20 orchestrated the Elmira attack with a career-high 18 assists. He also chipped in a pair of kills on seven attempts.
 
The opening set was tightly contested through the early stages, but an 8-1 run allowed the Express to take a 20-13 lead late, which eventually turned into a 25-18 victory.
 
In the second stanza, Wells jumped out to an early lead and went up by as many as eight points. The eight-point cushion proved to be more than enough, as Wells marched away with another 25-18 win.
 
Elmira stayed within striking distance of Wells in the third frame, despite the Express going up by as many as five points late in the set at 23-18. EC clawed its way back from the five-point hole and came within two points of Wells, 23-21. During that stretch, Anderson produced one of his team-high seven kills, while Landon Miller '20 and Coleman produced one block apiece. Unfortunately, this was as close as the Elmira men would get, as the Express claimed the next two points and the set, 25-21.
 
News and Notes

• Elmira opened the 2020 season.
• Milligan, Jackson, Anderson, Haenhyanonhna Powless '23 and Alex Nuez '23 made their collegiate debuts for Elmira.
• Coleman finished with a career-high 18 assists.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagle return to action tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m., when they take on the Cardinals of St. John Fisher on the final day of the Cardinal Classic.