ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Elmira men's volleyball team returned to Speidel Gymnasium on Wednesday evening when they took on the sixteenth-ranked Statesmen of Hobart College. After dropping the first set 25-17, Elmira kept pace with the Statesmen for most of the second set. However, it would go on to drop the set 25-22 before falling in the third 25-19.

Jordan Peiser '24 paced the squad with nine kills on the evening.

JUST THE BASICS:
Location: Elmira, NY | Speidel Gymnasium
Score: Elmira: 0, No. 16 Hobart: 3
Records: Elmira (9-12, 1-6 UVC), Hobart (17-10, 3-4 UVC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Soaring Eagles fell behind 7-1 early in the first set. Elmira brought the deficit down to 15-13 later in the set, but the Statesmen scored nine of the following 11 points, giving themselves a 24-15 lead and one point away from taking the first set. EC got two points back thanks to a Hobart service and setting error, but the set ended on an Elmira service error, giving the visitors a 25-17 set victory. Peiser tallied a team-high three kills during the opening set, while Edwin Sosa '25, Luke Jata '27, and Gabriel Staron '27 each slammed two.
• After falling behind 9-3 to start the second, Elmira got back into the set and would decrease the deficit to just one point at 16-15. From there, Elmira kept the score within four but could not take the lead over the Statesmen and dropped the second set 25-22. Sosa led the Soaring Eagles with five kills during the second set.
• Elmira again fell behind early in the third set, trailing 8-2 after the first ten points. After a pair of Hobart kills made it 12-5, the two teams traded the following 17 points, giving the Statesmen a 20-14. From that point, Elmira could not meaningfully cut into Hobart's lead and dropped the final set of the match by a final of 25-19. Peiser again led Elmira in kills during the final set with four, while Jata notched three and Jake Suffa '25 slammed a pair.
• The Soaring Eagles did not record any blocks or service aces during the match, while Hobart finished with five in both categories.
• Max Cohen '25 tallied 27 of Elmira's 29 set assists while logging a kill on his only attacking attempt of the evening.
• The Soaring Eagles posted a .163 hitting percentage during the match compared to a .421 mark for the Statesmen.

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles close out the regular season at home on Saturday, April 6, with a tri-match against Wilkes University and Juniata College, with start times scheduled for 1:00 and 5:00 p.m., respectively.