ELMIRA, N.Y.  – The Elmira College men's volleyball team split its opening afternoon of the 2024 season on Saturday, falling to Misericordia University before defeating SUNY Poly in straight-sets to conclude the afternoon. For Elmira, it was an afternoon that marked many collegiate debuts, as five first-year Soaring Eagles saw the floor for head coach Ryan McDonough '19. 

JUST THE BASICS (Match 1):
Location: Elmira, NY | Speidel Gymnasium
Score: Elmira: 1, Misericordia: 3
Records: Elmira: (0-1, 0-0 UVC), Misericordia (1-0, 0-0 MAC) 

JUST THE BASICS (Match 2):
Location: Elmira, NY | Speidel Gymnasium
Score: Elmira: 3, SUNY Poly: 0
Records: Elmira: (1-1, 0-0 UVC), SUNY Poly (0-2, 0-0 NAC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Against Misericordia, the Soaring Eagles would take the first set 25-23, receiving four kills from Edwin Sosa '25 along with a team hitting percentage of .412% on 10 kills. From there, the Cougars would take the next three sets, and the match, posting double-digit kills in each of the four sets played, along with hitting percentages in each set which eclipsed .415%.

The Soaring Eagles would battle in the fourth set, falling 25-23 while Sosa finished the match with 11 kills, to go along with 27 set assists for Max Cohen '25. Cougar's outside hitter Jared Piontkowski would finish with a match-high 25 kills, while the Cougars out-blocked the Soaring Eagles 13-3.

Against SUNY Poly, the Soaring Eagles would come out on top in the first two sets of the afternoon, both close, as Elmira took the first frame 28-26, capped by a kill from Jordan Peiser '24, while taking the second 26-24 following a service ace from Gabriel Staron '27. The third set would prove to be a bit more separated, a 25-13 victory for Elmira, as the team hit .500% from the floor with 11 kills and just two errors, a set-best for the afternoon.

Peiser and Sosa would lead Elmira with 13 kills a piece in the match, while Cohen added 37 assists. Alex Vega '26 would also chip in 12 digs, while first-year Dylan Vargas '27 recorded three blocks for the Soaring Eagles.

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles next weekend when traveling to Berea, Ohio to play three matches, starting with Buffalo State on Friday at 4:30 PM. On Saturday, the Purple & Gold will take on Baldwin Wallace and Eastern Mennonite at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM, respectively.