SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball split action during Saturday's tri-match, hosted by Springfield College, as the Soaring Eagles swept The Sage Colleges in straight sets before falling to the No. 2-ranked Pride, 3-0, in the nightcap. For the Soaring Eagles, it marked their first win of the 2020 campaign, while Sage fell to 0-8 and Springfield improved to 3-1.
Elmira 3, Sage 0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-16)
The Soaring Eagles earned their first win of the 2020 season in the early match on Saturday, as they took down the Gators in a non-conference match, 3-0. As a team, Elmira held advantages in nearly every statistical category, including a whopping 17-to-2 lead in aces. Leading the team from the service line was first-year outside
Luke Milligan '23, who tossed a program single-match record nine aces.
Milligan also ranked among EC's leader in kills with eight.
Tyler Anderson '23 tied the match lead with nine kills, while
Matt Straney '20 floored six kills with one error for a team-best .556 attack percentage. Straney and
Ryan Mattes '23 recorded three total blocks apiece to lead the Soaring Eagles from the front line.
Down 18-15 in the first, Elmira came from behind with four unanswered points and eight of the next nine to take a 23-19 lead. Sage came within two points late in the set, but
Landon Miller '20 halted any comeback attempt with a kill for the set point.
The second stanza was just as close. After a run of eight points gave the Gators an 18-15 cushion, the two sides found themselves tied at 19-, 20-, and 24-all, and EC closed the set thanks to a Sage error on one of Milligan's aces. Up 2-0 in the match, the Purple and Gold faced less resistance in the third set, as they closed the match with a 25-16 win.
#2 Springfield 3, Elmira 0 (25-11, 25-11, 25-9)
The second-ranked Pride of Springfield flexed their muscle in non-league action with a 3-0 sweep, surrendering just 31 points across the three sets. Springfield finished the match with 29 kills on 42 attempts with just five errors (.571), while Elmira amassed 11 kills on 48 attempts with 23 errors (-.250).
Springfield displayed its national prowess in the opening set with a near-perfect hitting performance (10k-0e-11ta). The Pride used those efforts to create separation early in the set and carried that lead through to the end of the set for a 25-11 win.
In the second set, Elmira trailed 12-7, after winning back-to-back points. However, Springfield pieced together 9-0 run to take a commanding 21-7 lead, which turned into a 25-11 second-set win
Springfield then went on to win 10 of the first 13 points of the third set, as well as 16 of the first 20 points, to take control of the set early on. A 12-point cushion was more than enough to see Springfield through to the finish line, as the Pride marched away with a 25-9 third-set win.
Eric Jackson '23 led Elmira with three kills, while
Garrett Coleman '20 paced the team in assists (9) and digs (3).
News and Notes
- Elmira secured its first win of the 2020 campaign.
- EC's 32 kills, 30 assists, 17 aces and 27 digs against Sage were season highs.
- Milligan set a single-match program record for service aces (9).
- Coleman's 25 assists vs. Sage were a career high.
- Anderson's nine kills against Sage were a season high.
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to action on Wednesday, January 29, when they battle Keuka College in the team's home-opening contest of the 2020 campaign. The opening serve is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Speidel Gymnasium.
