BUFFALO, N.Y. – Despite several career-best performances and a rally from a 2-0 deficit in the match, the Elmira College women's volleyball program dropped a 3-2 decision against Medaille in an Empire 8 Conference matchup on Friday evening.

Calli Vocke '23 notched a career-high 14 kills in the match for the Soaring Eagles, while Asia Curkendall '25 added a double-double with a career-high 45 assists and 10 digs.
 
JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 2, Medaille 3
LOCATION: Buffalo, N.Y. | Sullivan Gymnasium
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (5-11, 0-1 E8), Medaille (3-12, 1-2 E8)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
A 3-0 run to open the first set would give Elmira early momentum against the Mavericks before a 4-0 rally highlighted by back-to-back kills from Makenna Clark '25 gave the Purple & Gold a 7-1 advantage. Medaille would rally midway through the set to knot the score 11-11 before extending its lead to 15-11. EC clawed its way back to even the score 16-16 after Curkendall tallied one of her team-high four service aces. With the score knotted 20-20, the Mavericks would go on a 5-0 run to secure the 25-20 victory and take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Soaring Eagles led early in the second set and would go up 7-4 following consecutive attacking errors by Medaille. Elmira would later get a kill from Samantha Garry '25 followed by an ace from Curkendall to take an 11-8 advantage. A 4-0 rally looked to put the Soaring Eagles in the driver's seat with a 19-12 lead as Vocke added a pair of kills during the stretch for EC. Medaille would rally to trim the deficit to 19-18 before falling behind 24-20 on its home court. The Mavericks used a 6-0 run to secure a 26-24 victory and would take a commanding 2-0 lead.

Leading early in a set would continue to prove costly as Medaille jumped out to a 7-2 advantage in the third set before the Soaring Eagles would come storming back to eventually knot the score 9-9. Midway through the set, Sydney Meyers '23 served the ball 10 straight times for Elmira as the Soaring Eagles would take a 15-10 lead during that stretch. Medaille would rally late in the set to make things interesting but a kill from Vocke would secure a 25-20 win for the Soaring Eagles to trim the match deficit to 2-1.

The fourth set would feature six tie scores as the Soaring Eagles looked to extend the match against the Mavericks. With the score knotted 9-9 in the set, Garry and Maddie Boucher '24 teamed up for a block that would spark a rally for the Purple & Gold. Three straight service aces from Gabriella Rustine '26 pushed Elmira out to a 15-10 advantage before the Mavericks trimmed the gap to 15-13. Elmira would force a winner-take-all fifth set as Boucher notched a kill to secure a 25-22 victory for the Soaring Eagles.

Elmira raced out to a 5-2 lead in the fifth set before the Mavericks rallied to even the score 5-5. The teams traded the lead midway through the race to 15 points as Elmira would take a 9-8 lead following a kill by Curkendall. The Soaring Eagles would lose the advantage in the set after falling behind 13-12 before Medaille would make it 14-12. A double block from Boucher and Garry trimmed the gap to 14-13 while a kill secured the 15-13 victory for Medaille.

The Soaring Eagles notched 17 aces in the match as Curkendall and Rustine each tallied four, while Garry added 11 kills and five block assists for Elmira. Gianna Pezzino '23 recorded a career-high 27 digs in the match, while Amelia Martin '23 added 21 digs and seven kills for EC.
 
UP NEXT:
The Purple & Gold make the quick turn-around for an Empire 8 matchup on the road against Houghton on Saturday, October 1 beginning at 2:00 P.M. Elmira then travels to Alfred for an E8 matchup on Oct. 5 beginning at 6:00 P.M.