DALLAS, PA. – The Elmira College men's volleyball team would wrap up the Misericordia Cougar Classic with a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon. After sweeping the Knights from NJCU in three sets, the Soaring Eagles would be tested a bit more in the second match of the afternoon, as they defeated Drew 3-2 which included a 15-7 victory in the third set.

JUST THE BASICS (Match 1):
Location: Dallas, Pa. | Anderson Center
Score: Elmira: 3, NJCU: 0
Records: Elmira: (4-4, 0-0 UVC), NJCU (0-5, 0-0 Skyline)

JUST THE BASICS (Match 2):
Location: Dallas, Pa. | Anderson Center
Score: Elmira: 3, Drew: 2
Records: Elmira: (5-4, 0-0 UVC), Drew (4-7)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Against the Knights, the Soaring Eagles would use a 15-8 run in the middle of its first set to jump out to an early 21-16 advantage. From there, Elmira would score four of the final seven points which saw kills from Dylan Vargas '27, Luke Jatta '27, Jordan Peiser '24, and capped off by Alex Vega '26. In the opening set, Elmira would see a match-high seven attacking errors despite a .273 hitting percentage.
• In the second set, Elmira would cruise to a 25-20 victory to take a 2-0 advantage in the match. With the score tied at 6-6, Elmira would use a 7-1 run which featured four kills in order to take a 12-7 lead. From there, Elmira would not look back and would eventually take the set on a service error from NJCU's Amaru Perales. 
• In the third and final set, Elmira would find itself down 16-15 late, but five consecutive points for the Soaring Eagles who gained a 20-16 lead. As the set wound to a close, NJCU would trim its deficit to as little as two points, but another service error for Perales secured the victory. 
• Over the final two sets, Elmira would hit .310 from the floor, which included 29 kills and 11 errors. Max Cohen '25 would lead the Soaring Eagles in set assists with 32, while Peiser paced Elmira in the attacking game with 16 kills. Edwin Sosa '25 would round out the Elmira attacking unit with 12 kills. 
• In match two against Drew, the teams would find themselves even through a pair of sets, as Drew took the first frame 25-23 before the Soaring Eagles used a 25-18 advantage in the second set to knot the score. 
• After the third and fourth sets were split amongst the two teams, the game would go to a deciding fifth set, where Elmira took the 15-7 victory to finish the day 2-0. 
• In the second match, Sosa would pave the way for Elmira with 19 kills, while Alex Vega '26 added 18 digs on the defensive end. Cohen would add 43 set assists, while the Purple & Gold as a team hit .563% in the final frame which featured nine kills and no attacking errors.

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles will return to the court on Thursday, February 8 when hosting the Hawks from Hilbert College inside Speidel Gymnasium. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 PM.