ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team emerged triumphant in the squad's home opener on Tuesday evening, as the Soaring Eagles dispatched the visiting Wolves of Keuka College, 3-0, inside of Speidel Gymnasium.
The Purple and Gold's (2-3) offense was humming all evening, as they posted a season-best .310 attack percentage against Keuka (0-4). The Wolves mustered a .146 hitting percentage as Elmira registered five blocks and a match-high 38 digs.
Elmira's attack was led by its talented crop of freshmen, as the Class of 2023 supplied 36 of the team's 41 kills.
Tyler Anderson '23 was the main culprit, as he swung at an eye-popping .600 clip and tallied a match-high 12 kills.
Luke Milligan '23 was hot on the heels of his classmate with 10 kills and a .471 attack percentage.
Ryan Mattes '23 added nine kills, while
Eric Jackson '23 and
Haenhyanonhna Powless '23 chipped in with three and two kills, respectively.
The opening set acted as a precursor for the remainder of the match, as both sides traded blows in the early portion of the frame. EC managed to shift the momentum with a 5-to-0 run that featured kills from Anderson and Mattes and brought the score to 15-9. Keuka pulled back within one, but another 5-to-0 rally spurred on by Anderson put EC in the lead for good.
Keuka started the second set by winning four consecutive points, which turned into a 6-2 lead. The Soaring Eagles continued to battle however and seized the lead at 14-12 behind the service of
Garrett Coleman '20. As the set wore on, Brad McKnight pushed the visitors ahead, 21-18. Elmira regrouped following a timeout and three consecutive kills from Milligan put the Soaring Eagles back in the driver's seat. An attacking miscue by the Wolves sealed the 25-22 victory for EC.
With a 2-0 advantage, Elmira didn't let its foot off the gas pedal in the third set. EC floored a match-high 16 kills and hit at a .400 clip in the 25-22 victory. After both teams followed the topsy-turvy script of the match early in the set, A block by Anderson and
Landon Miller '20, combined with a kill from Powless, pushed EC ahead, 20-17. Elmira rolled from there as Mattes put the match to bed off of a feed from Coleman.
In his own words…
Head coach
Daniel Miranda on the team working together to earn tonight's victory…
"Tonight was a much-needed team victory and helped us learn how to win together. We faced a lot of different scenarios that we found a way to push through. A huge shout out to Ryan [Mattes] for stepping up in every position he played. Our pin-hitters had awesome numbers and our middles are getting more and more involved in the offense. I was impressed with Garrett's [Coleman] progress at the setter position and we're looking forward to a big four-match weekend."
News and Notes
- Elmira finished with 38 digs compared to Keuka's 28.
- The Wolves head the edge in blocks, 7-to-5.
- EC improved to 3-0 at home against Keuka, and 4-1 overall.
- Elmira's team hitting percentage of .310 was a season-best.
- Anderson's kills (13) and attack percentage (.600) were both career-highs.
- Milligan's 10 kills were a career-best.
- Coleman dished out a career-best 34 assists.
- Alex Adelman '22 chipped in with seven digs.
- Jackson tallied a season-best three aces.
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles hit the road for a busy weekend, starting on Saturday, February 1. EC will trek to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, for a tri-match hosted by Geneva College. Elmira will challenge Randolph-Macon at 5:00 p.m. before taking on the host Golden Tornados at 7:00 p.m.
