ELMIRA, N.Y. – Elmira College men's volleyball took care of business Thursday evening, defeating Hilbert College in four sets for its sixth win of the season. Edwin Sosa '25 and Luke Jata '27 each tallied double-digit kills during the match, with 14 and 10, respectively.

JUST THE BASICS:
Location: Elmira, NY | Speidel Gymnasium
Score: Elmira: 3, Hilbert: 1
Records: Elmira: (6-4, 0-0 UVC), Hilbert (3-4, 0-0 AMCC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Elmira began the first set scoring the first six points, with two kills coming from Jordan Peiser '24. After Hilbert got on the board, the Soaring Eagles scored three more in succession. From that point on, EC was able to control the set, which ended in a 25-11 advantage for Elmira.
• Elmira hit .545 in the opening set, with Peiser leading the team with four kills, while Gabriel Staron '27 slammed three kills on three attempts for the Soaring Eagles. In total, the team tallied 15 kills in the first set.
• The Purple & Gold began the second set on a 10-4 run, with three kills from Sosa. However, the Hawks got back into the game, going on a 10-5 run that saw Elmira's lead shrink to one point. From that point, a pair of Sosa kills highlighted a five-point unanswered run, and the Soaring Eagles were able to take control, finishing the set with a 25-22 win. Sosa notched six kills in the second set, while Elmira posted a hitting percentage of .214.
• The third set was a back-and-forth contest between the two sides, with 12 tied scores and two lead changes. Despite a four-kill performance from Jata in the third set, the Soaring Eagles could not hold off the visiting Hawks, who won the set 25-23 and forced a fourth set.
• Although the fourth set saw four tied scores, Elmira never trailed during the set, which finished with a final score of 25-17. Jata once again led Elmira with four kills in the final set, including slamming the kill to win the match for the Soaring Eagles. Additionally, Sosa and Jake Suffa '25 each tallied three kills for the Purple & Gold in the fourth set.
• Elmira notched nine service aces during the match while only allowing four. Peiser led the Soaring Eagles in that category, collecting three aces during the contest.

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles hit the road again on Friday, February 23, at 7:00 p.m., when they travel to Massachusetts Institute of Technology and face off against the Engineers in their first match of UVC action.