ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Elmira College women's volleyball team battled through a hard-fought five-set match on Friday evening inside Speidel Gymnasium but ultimately came up just short against visiting Russell Sage, 3–2.

JUST THE BASICS:
SCORE: Elmira 2, Russell Sage 3
LOCATION: Elmira, NY | Speidel Gymnasium
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (3-22, 1-7 Empire 8), Russell Sage (10-11, 5-3 Empire 8) 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After dropping the opening set, the Soaring Eagles responded with an impressive stretch of play in the second and third frames. Elmira edged the Gators 25–23 in the second behind efficient setting from Alyson Hagberg, who finished the night with 19 assists, and strong offensive contributions from Gabriella Rustine '25 and Madalyn Devonshire '29. The Purple & Gold carried that momentum into the third set, rallying from behind to take a 26–24 win and a 2–1 match lead.
• Russell Sage regained control in the fourth, forcing a decisive fifth set, where Elmira continued to trade points before narrowly falling 15–12 in the final frame.
• Rustine led the Elmira attack with eight kills, while Devonshire and Morgan Sica '28 each chipped in six apiece. Erin Bracken '28 added a balanced performance with five kills and 17 assists, and Alyson Hagberg '25 posted a double-digit assist total of her own. Defensively, Gabriela Rodriguez '25 anchored the back row with a team-high 23 digs, while Vicki Titus '28 and Aimee Bridges '29 combined for four service aces.
• Elmira finished the match with 55 kills, 40 assists, and 77 digs as a team.

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles conclude its home slate when hosting Hartwick tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 PM for Senior Day inside Speidel Gymnasium.