ELMIRA, N.Y.  – The Elmira College men's volleyball team took both of their Friday evening matches against Drew University and SUNY Potsdam, beating the Rangers in straight sets and the Bears in four. Edwin Sosa '25 finished the day with 35 kills across both matches.

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

JUST THE BASICS (Match 2):
Location: Elmira, NY | Speidel Gymnasium
Score: Elmira: 3, SUNY Potsdam: 1
Records: Elmira: (3-1, 0-0 UVC), SUNY Potsdam (1-5, 0-0 NECC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Against Drew, the Soaring Eagles would take the first set 25-17, receiving five kills from Sosa. The second set saw the Purple & Gold come out on top, 25-19, with Dylan Vargas '27 leading the Soaring Eagles with six kills during the set, with Sosa finishing behind him with five. The Soaring Eagles totaled 15 kills in the second set with a .226 hitting percentage. Sosa, Vargas, and Jake Suffa '25 each had three kills in the third set, helping Elmira take the final set 25-23.
• The Soaring Eagles outhit the Rangers 39-21 over the three sets while tallying six service aces to just two for Drew. Elmira also had the edge in set assists, leading the visitors in that category 34-21. Max Cohen '25 collected 31 of those set assists for the Soaring Eagles.
• The second game against SUNY Potsdam started with Elmira claiming the first set 25-17, receiving six kills from Luke Jata '27 to lead the team. Sosa and Gabriel Staron '27 added five kills each, and the Soaring Eagles posted 18 kills in the first set with a .593 team hitting percentage. Sosa led the way for Elmira in the second set, recording seven of Elmira's 14 kills and helping EC win the second set 25-23. The Soaring Eagles dropped their third set 25-23, with Sosa adding another five kills to his total. In the fourth set, Elmira took a commanding 9-2 lead out of the gate, with kills by Staron, Vargas, and Cache Littrell '27 during the run. After that point, Sosa again took over, tallying five kills over the rest of the set, and the Soaring Eagles took the fourth and final set 25-20.
• Elmira recorded 60 kills during the game with a hitting percentage of .339 while limiting SUNY Potsdam to 34 kills for a .187 hitting percentage. Sosa finished the match with 22 kills, while Staron and Jata had 12 and 10, respectively. Jata also tallied a team-high four service aces in the game. Cohen added 45 set assists while tying Jata for the lead in digs with seven.

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles play again on Saturday as they face off against Kean University on January 27 at 1:00 p.m.