ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's volleyball team lost a three-set match on the road against United Volleyball Conference (UVC) and Empire 8 Conference rival Nazareth College on Thursday night.

The opening set, which ended in a 25-19 score in Naz's (1-0, 1-0 UVC) favor, was neck and neck throughout. Down 6-3 early, the Soaring Eagles (0-2, 0-1 UVC) scored three straight points and evened the set score on an ace from Eric Jackson '23. Elmira then tied the score at 10-all on a Neiram Galán-Canales '23 kill, before using kills from Oscar Muñoz Trinidad '23, Matt Amoddio '22, and Jordan Peiser '24 to come within one point at 17-16. However, Nazareth won the next four points to help seal the first-set win.

In the third set, the Soaring Eagles used a late run to make things interesting. Down 21-14, Elmira claimed four of the next five points. Errors by the Golden Flyers helped the Purple and Gold draw even closer, with a bad set and attack error bringing EC within three, 23-20. Unfortunately, with one last opportunity to piece together a run, Peiser missed the mark with his serve and Nazareth floored a kill for the match point two plays later.

News and Notes

• Elmira posted more kills (17), assists (16), and total blocks (5) against Nazareth in its second match of the year than it did on February 26 against Daemen.
• In the second match of his young career, Peiser finished with season highs in kills (six) and attack percentage (.333).
• Muñoz Trinidad and Jackson each had three kills and a team-high-tying four digs.
• Ryan Mattes '23 (3), Galán-Canales (2), and Muñoz Trinidad (2) each logged multiple blocks.
• Galán-Canales recorded 12 of Elmira's 16 assists.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles continue their season-opening road tour with a pair of matches at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, March 6. The first match begins at 2:00 p.m., and the second half of the doubleheader is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start.