ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team (0-6, 0-2 UVC) remains in search of its first win of the 2021 season, following a pair of defeats to seventh-ranked St. John Fisher College (2-2, 1-1 UVC) on Saturday afternoon.
#7 St. John Fisher 3, Elmira 0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-21)
All three sets of the opening match were competitive but extended runs by the Cardinals sealed the deal in each frame. The closest of the three took place in the third set, as the Elmira men held an 18-15 advantage, following an Avery Terroso service error and back-to-back kills from
Ryan Mattes '23 and
Oscar Muñoz Trinidad '24.
EC maintained a three-point lead through 20-17, but Fisher went on to win eight of the next nine points, which included a 7-0 run, to close out the Soaring Eagles, 25-21.
The Cardinals hit at a 36.3% clip (39k-10e-80ta) for the match, while the Soaring Eagles swung at 16.5% (31k-18e-79ta). Rookie
Jordan Peiser '24 paced the Purple and Gold's attack with a career-high 13 kills on 37.5% hitting (13k-4e-24ta).
Eric Jackson '23 added 8 kills and one block, while Munoz Trinidad chipped in with 6 kills, 4 digs and 23 assists. Defensively,
Alex Nuez '22 logged a team-high seven digs.
#7 St. John Fisher 3, Elmira 1 (25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 25-16)
Elmira pushed the nationally-ranked Cardinals in the nightcap, winning the second of four sets, but the outcome remained the same as Fisher marched away with the win.
After dropping the first set, Elmira bounced back nicely in the second stanza with a win and leveled the match at one apiece. The tone was set early on as both teams went on lengthy runs. Elmira led by as many as five points at 9-4, before the Cardinals pieced together a 6-0 run to go on top, 10-9.
The teeter-totter nature of the match continued throughout the set. Fisher eventually pulled ahead, 18-16, but Elmira won five of the next seven points to take a 21-20 lead. From there, the Cardinals logged back-to-back points to go up, 22-21, but Elmira answered with consecutive points of its own to reclaim a one-point lead, 23-22.
The two conference foes traded the next three points, which tied the match at 24-all. However, serves down the stretch determined the outcome of the set, as Terroso tossed in a service error on the next point and it was followed up by a service ace from Mattes to clinch the set, 26-24.
It seemed as if the momentum had swung in Elmira's favor, but Fisher built an early lead in the third set and never looked back, winning it 25-20. The fourth frame proved to be much of the same, as EC was unable to overcome an early deficit, leading to a 25-16 win for the Cardinals.
Peiser once again led the Elmira offense, this time with 11 kills and a team-high four service aces. Munoz Trinidad added a double-double with 20 assists and 15 digs, both of which were team highs. Mattes, along with Peiser, led the EC defense with four blocks each.
News and Notes
- Peiser logged double-digit kills for the first time in his EC career.
- Peiser's 13 kills in match one and four blocks in match two were career highs.
- Munoz Trinidad produced his first career double-double with 20 assists and 15 digs.
- Munoz Trinidad's 23 assists in the first match were a career high.
- Mattes' four blocks in the second match were a career best.
- Jackson's eight digs were season high.
- Nuez tied his career high dig output with seven.
Up Next
The Elmira men return to action on Sunday, March 14, when they host the Wildcats of Daemen College for a pair of non-league matches. Elmira's home-opener is set for 1:00 p.m. at Speidel Gymnasium and will be followed by another match at 3:30 p.m.
