ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Elmira College men's volleyball team cruised to a straight-sets victory over the visiting Hawks from Hilbert College on Friday evening. As a team, the Soaring Eagles hit .400 with 36 kills, led by Eric Jackson '23 who paced Elmira with nine.

Additionally, the Soaring Eagles combined for eight block assists, with Matt Amoddio '22 leading the way with three.

JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 3, Hilbert 0
LOCATION: Elmira, New York | Speidel Gymnasium
RECORDS: Elmira (12-10, 1-3 UVC), Hilbert (2-15, 1-7 AMCC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Soaring Eagles held the Hawks to a negative hitting percentage in each set on its way to a 3-0 victory in the match. In the first, the Purple & Gold got off to a shaky start, with the Hawks taking a 4-0 lead out the gate. From there, Elmira would regain the lead at 7-6 and never look back as they finished the match on a 18-10 run to take the opener 25-16.
 
From there, the Soaring Eagles cruised into the second set by immediately taking a 9-1 lead with Ryan Mattes '23 at the service position. After some back-and-forth play, the Hawks used a 5-0 run of its own to trim its deficit to just three, 11-8. Leading 18-14, the Soaring Eagles concluded the set with Mattes once again in the service position, scoring seven straight to end the set with a 25-14 victory.
 
In all, Mattes served 12 times in the set, while the Soaring Eagles recorded 13 service aces in the match.
 
In the third, the Soaring Eagles hit .714 as a team with 11 kills and just one error. Leading just 5-4, the Purple & Gold rushed for seven straight points with Jordan Peiser '24 serving to increase its lead to 12-4. From there, Elmira would finish the set with Peiser serving once again, ending the match with a service ace of his own.

UP NEXT:
Elmira will return to the court next Saturday as they head to SUNY Potsdam for a trio of matches on the weekend. After taking on Sage Friday, the Soaring Eagles will play D'Youville and SUNY Potsdam Saturday afternoon.