ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Elmira College men's volleyball team dropped its Saturday afternoon meeting with the #2 nationally-ranked Brewers from Vassar College, 1-3, inside of Speidel Gymnasium. Elmira, who found early advantages in each of the four sets, were just five points shy of forcing a deciding fifth set before the Brewers rallied to score six of the final eight points on its way to victory.
Alberto Mauricio '25 and Oscar Munoz '22 would pave the way for Elmira on the offensive end, combining for 35 assists with 22 and 13, respectively. Jordan Peiser '24 would chip in an additional seven kills to the Soaring Eagle ledger, while Max Cohen '25 added 41 set assists.
JUST THE BASICS:
Location: Elmira, N.Y. | Speidel Gymnasium
Score: Elmira: 1, #2 Vassar: 3
Records: Elmira: (8-3, 1-1 UVC), Vassar (15-1, 4-0 UVC)
Both teams would come out strong in the opening set, which eventually went to the Brewers 25-15, boasted by a hitting percentage north of .700%. Elmira on the other hand, was able to record nine kills while committing just one error in the opening frame, while posting its own hitting percentage of .421%. Midway through the set, the Brewers would score nine of 12 points which increased its lead to 18-11 before Billy Fan recorded a kill to end the set.
In the second, the score played closer, with a decrease in hitting percentages on both sides. Elmira, who held the 11-10 lead after a kill from Mauricio, would go on to surrender seven of the next nine points as Vassar took the lead at 17-13. The Brewers would score five consecutive points nearing the end of the set, and eventually take a 2-0 lead in the match following a kill from Adam Gulick, who finished the match with 12 kills.
The Soaring Eagles would come out strong in the third taking an early 8-3 lead after a service ace from Haenhyanonhna Powless '23. Elmira would increase its lead to 12-5 before the Brewers slowly started to work its way back into the set. With the Purple & Gold leading by just a pair (21-19), the Soaring Eagles would score three consecutive points with Ryan Mattes '23 at the service position, and eventually win the frame on a kill from Munoz Trinidad. The set win marked just the sixth time this season that Vassar has lost a set in 16 matches.
The Soaring Eagles would take an 8-6 advantage in the fourth before the Brewers played the home squad nearly even down the stretch. With Elmira leading 20-19, the Brewers would go on to take six of the final eight points to win the match 3-1.
UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles will hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to Rochester, New York to take on the Golden Flyers from Nazareth College in its annual UVC meeting. First serve is set for 7:00 PM.
