ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira Women's Volleyball team rallied from a 2-0 deficit on Tuesday night before dropping a 3-2 decision against SUNY Morrisville inside Speidel Gymnasium. The Soaring Eagles tallied 10 service aces in the match with Maddie Hampton '24 leading the way.

JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 2, SUNY Morrisville 3
LOCATION: Elmira, N.Y. | Speidel Gymnasium
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (7-11, 3-1 E8), Morrisville (12-7, 2-0 NEAC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Mustangs hit .385 as a team in the opening set and would control the pace of play from start to finish. EC gained an early 5-1 advantage in the set before Morrisville rallied to knot the score following a service ace from Isabella Wallace. The Mustangs later used a 4-0 rally to increase the lead to 20-14 and would eventually secure the set, 25-18, with a kill.
 
In the second, EC used a 5-0 run to erase an early deficit and would eventually take a 10-9 lead. A kill by Maddie Boucher '24 sparked a 3-0 rally later in the set as EC would knot the score 20-20. The Soaring Eagles looked to gain some late momentum following a kill from Boucher that would give EC a 23-22 advantage. The Mustangs responded with a 3-0 rally to secure the 25-23 victory.
 
The Soaring Eagles would turn things around offensively in the third set as Delaney Johnson '23 dropped in back-to-back aces to put EC out in front 3-0. A kill from Sydney Meyers '23 increased the EC advantage to 7-3, while Kaylene Sauschuck '22 added a pair of kills later in the set to give the Soaring Eagles a 14-8 lead. The Mustangs battled late in the set and trimmed the deficit to 22-18 only to see a kill from Meyers secure the 25-18 victory for EC.

In the fourth, EC would rally from an early 7-3 deficit and eventually knot the score 10-10. A 4-0 rally shifted the momentum for the Soaring Eagles, who would take a 14-12 lead following another ace from Hampton. Leading 19-18, EC would use a 4-0 run to increase the advantage to 23-18. Morrisville trimmed the deficit to 24-23 before Calli Vocke '23 secured the set off an assist from Asia Curkendall '25.

Samantha Garry '25 sparked an early rally for the Soaring Eagles in the fifth set as EC would take a 7-4 lead over the Mustangs. Morrisville changed the tide in the set with back-to-back kills that would put the Mustangs on top 12-9. Amelia Martin '23 capped a 2-0 run for EC with a kill before Morrisville would secure the set and the match with a 15-12 victory.

Sauschuck paced the Soaring Eagles with 11 kills in the match and hit .310 along the way. Martin finished with 10 kills and 11 digs for EC, while Meyers added six kills in the match. Curkendall finished with 33 assists in the match, while Hampton recorded a team-high 28 digs on the night.

UP NEXT:
Elmira returns to action on Thursday when they travel to Rochester for a conference matchup against Nazareth at 6:00 PM. The Soaring Eagles are back inside Speidel Gymnasium on Tuesday, Oct. 19 with a 6:00 PM contest against Alfred.