ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team was tripped up in United Volleyball Conference (UVC) action on Saturday afternoon, as the Soaring Eagles fell to the No. 2-nationally ranked Violets of NYU in three sets on Pat Thompson '75 Court.

It was a slugfest between the two conference foes, as Elmira (5-14, 1-3 UVC) overcame a slow start in the first set to push NYU (13-2, 4-1 UVC) to the brink in the final two frames. Despite EC's best efforts, the Violets' well-polished net presence was too much to overcome. NYU hit at a .338 clip with 30 kills and a paltry eight errors. Defensively, the visitors tossed up seven blocks to fluster Elmira's attack.

EC's success on offense came from Declan Quinn '22 and Tyler Anderson '23. Quinn floored a match-best nine kills while swinging at a solid .235 rate. Anderson added six kills and a block from the right side. Rookie Neiram Galán-Canales broke the 20-assist-plateau for the third consecutive match with a team-best 21 helpers.

 After the Violets ran away with the opening set, 25-10, Elmira came out with more intensity in the second stanza. Both sides traded blows in the early going, and EC eventually forged ahead of the Violets with a 3-to-0 run. Anderson started the run with a kill and bookended the charge after combining with Matt Straney '20 for a block that put Elmira up 14-13. The Violets battled back and took a 21-19 lead. EC pulled back within one after a kill from Anderson, but NYU held on to take the set 25-21.

The Violets opened a 7-1 lead early in the final set, which forced Elmira to mount a comeback attempt. The Purple and Gold pulled back within three off of a kill from Eric Jackson '23, but that was as close as they would get to NYU. The visitors rode their earlier advantage from there, as the Violets earned a 25-16 victory to close out the match.

News and Notes
Quinn's nine kills were a match-best.
Quinn matched his season-high in kills.
Galán-Canales finished with over 20 assists for the third consecutive match.
Alex Nuez '21, Haenhyanonhna Powless '23 and Galán-Canales all registered five digs.
Anderson tallied a team-best two service aces.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles continue UVC play on the road on Wednesday, March 7, against No. 7-ranked St. John Fisher. Opening serve against the Cardinals is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.