DALLAS, Pa. – The Elmira College men's volleyball team took a weekend roadtrip to the University of Mount Saint Vincent for a tri-match with UMSV and John Jay. The Soaring Eagles picked up two wins as they bested John Jay 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20) while sweeping UMSV 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-21).

MATCH 1 | vs. John Jay, 3-0 (23-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20)
In set one, the Bloodhounds were first to hit the board with an early two-point rally. Kills from Luke Jata and Gabriel Staron quickly tied things up. Both teams were consistently trading points until the Bloodhounds mustered a late 3-0 rally. Another kill from Jata and a pair from Staron were not enough as EC dropped set one, 25-23. In set two, the Soaring Eagles jumped out in front early with kills from Caden Sims and Jata for a 3-1 advantage. A three-point rally featured a service ace and kill from Staron to push Elmira ahead 12-9. The Bloodhounds managed a 4-0 rally of their own to tie things at 19 all, but a kill from Dylan Vargas closed the set in favor of EC (25-23).

In set three, an early three-point rally from the Soaring Eagles gave them a strong advantage over John Jay. Kills from Staron and Ethan Davenport continued to push EC's lead forward. Three consecutive points featured a kill from Jata followed by a five-point rally propelled the Soaring Eagles to a 19-14 lead over the Bloodhounds. A trio of consecutive kills from Jata built momentum for EC as a final kill secured set three, 25-18. In set four, a resilient Bloodhounds team traded points with the Soaring Eagles until a five-point rally grabbed EC a two-point lead. Midway through the set kills from Staron, Davenport, and Jata continued to build on Elmira's momentum. A late trio of points created a larger deficit for EC, seeing another kill from Jata to secure the 3-1 victory (25-20).

LEADERS
Jata led the way offensively with 20 kills in the match followed by Staron with 14 of his own. Nick Rohman tallied 45 assists while Staron marked eight digs.

MATCH 2 | vs. UMSV, 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-21)
In set one, Elmira was dominant from the start with service aces from Vargas, Rohman, and Jata with a kill from Davenport. An early 8-3 advantage continued to build with kills from George Flores Jr. and Drake Connors. UMSV worked within three points, but a four-point rally and a kill from Vargas closed set one in favor of EC (25-19). 

In set two, another early four-point rally quickly put Elmira ahead. Vargas, Flores Jr., and Davenport continued to tack on the kills and grow the deficit between the two teams. A four-point rally saw Flores Jr. with another kill to grow EC's lead to 16-8. UMSV was relentlessly, going on a five-point rally of their own to tie the score at 19 all. However, it was no match for the Soaring Eagles as they populated a three-point rally of their own to secure set two 25-22. In set three, both teams traded points early on until a pair of points for UMSV gave them the advantage midway through. Elmira worked quickly to post a six-point rally of their own to quickly recapture the lead. A service ace from Erik Ziemblicki and a pair of kills from Drake closed the set to secure the 3-0 sweep for Elmira (25-21).

LEADERS
Flores Jr. led the way offensively with 13 kills followed by Davenport with seven of his own. Ziemblicki tallied 17 assists while Flores Jr. and Jeremiah Matthew recorded five digs apiece.

UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles will return home to Speidel Gymnasium on Wednesday, February 11 for a non-conference matchup against Hilbert. The match is set for 6:00 PM.