BEAVER FALLS, Pa. --The Elmira College men's volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday evening, as the Soaring Eagles earned a hard-fought five-set win over Randolph-Macon College before falling to Geneva College in their second tilt. EC's record now sits at 3-4 while Randolph Macon and Geneva moved to 2-5 and 7-4, respectively.

Match 1
The Soaring Eagles took part in their first five-set match of the season on Saturday afternoon and emerged victorious after taking down Randolph-Macon, 3-2.

EC road the hot hands of freshmen Ryan Anderson '23 and Luke Milligan '23 against the Yellow Jackets, as each of the talented rookies, floored 16 kills. Senior Garrett Coleman'20 tuned in another fine performance as the team's lead setter with a career-high 39 assists. Defensively, Alex Adelman '22 tallied a whopping 26 digs.

Elmira won a back-and-forth first set, 28-26. The Yellow Jackets held the lead for the majority of the set, but a late 3-to-0 run behind the service of Matt Straney '20 saw EC push ahead 23-22. The score eventually moved to 26-26, but a Yellow Jackets' service error and a kill from Milligan sealed the opener.

Randolph Macon responded with force, taking the next two sets to create a must-win fourth set for the Soaring Eagles. Elmira rose to the occasion, as the Purple and Gold floored a match-high 15 kills in the frame. Once again, the Yellow Jackets managed to take an early lead, trailing 16-13, the Purple and Gold rattled off three consecutive kills from Coleman, Landon Miller '20, and Milligan to tie the set. The two sides continued to trade blows, but Elmira closed out the set to force a decisive fifth stanza.

EC came out firing to open the fifth set with a 6-to-1 run that featured kills from Straney, Haenhyanonhna Powless '23 and Milligan. With the lead firmly in place, Elmira fended off the Yellow Jackets to take the set 15-13.

Match 2
The Soaring Eagles were unable to keep pace with the host Golden Tornadoes in their second match of the day, as Geneva earned a 3-0 victory. Geneva's offense was extremely efficient, as the home side hit at a .360 clip with a whopping 41 kills. EC struggled to slow down the Golden Tornadoes' Anthony Baronio, who posted a match-best 12 kills.

For Elmira, Anderson and Milligan once again lead the way with eight kills apiece. Miller chipped in with five kills, while Coleman tallied 24 assists.

After falling in the first set, EC gave the Golden Tornadoes a run for their money in the second frame. Elmira slipped behind early but battled back to tie the set at 22-22. Straney started the push with a kill that was followed up by a kill from Anderson. Coleman knotted the score with an ace as the Purple and Gold looked to steal the set. Geneva bounced back, however, and took the frame, 25-23.

Facing a 2-0 deficit, Elmira was unable to force a fourth set as Geneva swung at a .409 clip to close out the third and final set.

News and Notes

• Elmira posted a season-high 46 kills against Randolph-Macon.
• EC won its first five-set match of the year against the Yellow Jackets.
• Coleman's 39 assists were a season-high.
• Adelman registered a career-high 26 digs, which is two shy of the single-match program record (28).
• Anderson and Milligan each recorded season-highs in kills (16) against Randolph-Macon.
• Miller finished with four blocks across both matches.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles are back it tomorrow afternoon with a pair of matches on the campus of Hiram College. EC challenges the host Terriers at 12:00 p.m. before challenging Mount Union at 2:00 p.m.