PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – Elmira College men's volleyball made the trip to Patchogue for a tri-match vs. St. Joseph's University - Long Island and Lancaster Bible College on Saturday afternoon. After dropping the first match, 3-1, the Soaring Eagles took the Chargers of Lancaster Bible to five sets before falling in the final set, 15-9. 

Edwin Sosa' 25 led the Soaring Eagles with 36 kills across the two matches, while Jordan Peiser '24 collected 34 kills.

JUST THE BASICS (Match 1):
Location: Patchogue, NY | Danzi Center Gym
Score: Elmira: 1, SJLI: 3
Records: Elmira: (6-7, 0-2 UVC), SJLI (4-4, 0-0 Skyline)

JUST THE BASICS (Match 2):
Location: Patchogue, NY | Danzi Center Gym
Score: Elmira: 2, Lancaster Bible: 3
Records: Elmira: (6-8, 0-2 UVC), Lancaster Bible (5-11, 0-0 United East)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Soaring Eagles dropped the first set 25-18 after falling behind early, 12-2. Sosa and Peiser each tallied a team-high three kills during the opening round. Elmira fell to SJLI in the second set 25-19, with Sosa again leading the team with six kills. The Purple & Gold got one back in the third, beating the Golden Eagles 25-23 to force a fourth set. Peiser paced the team with seven kills, while Sosa trailed closely behind him with six. However, the Soaring Eagles could not maintain their momentum from the third set, dropping the fourth, 25-20, to fall in four sets in their opening match. Peiser tallied four kills, while Sosa and Luke Jata '27 each had three.
• Sosa and Peiser led the Soaring Eagles in kills with 18 and 16, respectively. Both teams were tied with 44 kills during the match, while Elmira notched six service aces to STLI's seven. EC also matched the Golden Eagles' assist totals, both setting up 40 kills for their teams. Max Cohen '25 led Elmira with 37 set assists.
• The second match saw Elmira take the first set against Lancaster Bible, 25-20, with Sosa leading the way for the Soaring Eagles, notching six kills. The second set could not be decided with 25 points, and after the set went to extra rounds, the Chargers eventually emerged on top, 27-25. This time, Peiser led the way for the Soaring Eagles, posting five kills during the set. Despite Peiser and Jata tallying four kills each in the second set, the Soaring Eagles dropped the third set after leading 9-5 early in the third. Streaks of five and four unanswered points by Lancaster Bible later in the set helped them emerge with a 25-23 victory and a 2-1 advantage heading into the fourth set. Needing to win the set to stay alive, the Soaring Eagles produced their best set of the match, taking the fourth set 25-20 while posting a 0.407 attacking percentage. Peiser paced the squad with five kills, while Sosa and Jata collected three apiece. After the Chargers tied the set at nine, the Soaring Eagles produced a 6-0 run to take a 15-9 advantage and never relinquished their lead during the fourth. In the fifth set, Elmira scored two points out of the gate, but the Chargers scored six of the following seven points, and EC could not get itself back in the contest, dropping the decisive set 15-9.
• Peiser and Sosa each finished the match with 18 kills, while Peiser and Dylan Vargas '27 both notched three service aces. The Soaring Eagles led the Chargers in kills 53-51 while tallying eight service aces while only allowing three. Cohen led Elmira with 42 set assists, while Sosa had a team-high seven blocks.

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles return to Speidel Gymnasium on Saturday, March 9, when they square off against the Violets of New York University at 2:00 p.m.