ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Elmira College women's volleyball team got off to a quick start to begin the 2023 season under first-year head coach and alumnus Savannah Terry '21, defeating the visiting Panthers from the University of Pitt-Bradford in straight-sets on day one of the Elmira Fall Quad Invitational. 

Terry, who was a standout player and all-conference award winner during her time donning the Purple & Gold, would go on to earn her first collegiate head coaching victory in the win. For Elmira, the team would hit to a .212 clip for the contest, while Makenna Clark '25 and Morgan Richardson '25 finished with ten and eight kills, respectively. Additionally, Gabriela Rodriguez '26 would record 12 digs on the defensive end, while Asia Curkendall '25 assisted on 29 Soaring Eagle kills. 

JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 3, Pitt-Bradford 0 
LOCATION: Elmira, N.Y. | Speidel Gymnasium
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (1-0, 0-0 E8), Pitt-Bradford (0-1, 0-0 AMCC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Soaring Eagles would get off to a quick start, jumping to a 6-1 lead on a pair of kills each from Richardson and Clark. A 4-0 stretch for the Panthers nearing the midway point of the set would knot the score at 9-9 before Elmira returned the favor with four consecutive scores of their own to take a 13-9 lead.
• Nearing the end of the frame, the Panthers would rally for five straight to eventually take a 19-17 lead in the set, but it would be Elmira who would take advantage of a service error to tie the set at 23-23 in the late-going. After a kill from the Panthers, Elmira would go on to score three straight on a kill from Kayla Neer '25, and a pair of Panther errors to take the opener, 26-24. 
• In the opening frame, Elmira would hit .271 as a team, outkilling Pitt-Bradford 17-13 while Clark led the way with six.
• The second frame would be all Elmira as following the opening score from UPB, ten consecutive points with Neer at the service position would be nearly all but end the set to give Elmira a 2-0 lead. As a team, the Soaring Eagles would hit .333 in the frame, notching ten kills on 21 attempts while committing just seven errors through the first two sets. 
• In the third, the Panthers would make it interesting, but would eventually be put away nearly the same way the match started, with a kill from Clark to cap the evening.
• As a team, Elmira would commit 17 errors compared to 30 for the Panthers, while Maddie Boucher '24 and Neer combined for 13 kills, with seven and six, respectively. 
• Caroline Barr '27 would notch her first collegiate kills, finishing with a pair, while Cassidy Ryan '24 chipped in a pair as well.

UP NEXT:
The Purple & Gold return to the floor tomorrow when taking on New England College (10:00 AM), followed by a matchup against William Paterson (12:30 PM) to cap the opening weekend.