Errors Prove Costly as Elmira Falls to No. 8 St. John Fisher on Wednesday Evening

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Elmira Men’s Volleyball team was unable to pull off an upset on Wednesday evening against its United Volleyball Conference member, #8 St. John Fisher, as the Cardinals went on to win the match in straight-sets. The Soaring Eagles struggled from the attacking positions, as the team committed 24 attacking errors and double-digit service errors in the loss. 

Oscar Munoz Trinidad ’23 would lead Elmira with ten kills, while Alberto Mauricio ’25 chipped in nine. Max Cohen ’25 would record 25 set assists, while Ryan Mattes ’23 was just one of three Soaring Eagles with a positive hitting percentage, logging three kills with no errors on five attempts (.600%)

JUST THE BASICS:

SCORE: Elmira 0, No. 8 St. John Fisher 3

LOCATION: Rochester, New York | Bobby Wanzer Court

TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (10-5, 2-3 UVC), St. John Fisher (18-5, 2-2 UVC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Soaring Eagles and Cardinals would battle through the first set with neither team seemingly able to pull away the early-going. With the Cardinals leading 14-12, the home squad would score three of the next four points, forcing the Soaring Eagles into a timeout while trailing by four. Through the midway point of the opening set, Josh Bigford led all attackers with four kills, while Oscar Munoz Trinidad ’23 posted three. After Alberto Mauricio ’25 attacked a ball questionably long, the Cardinals would extend its lead to six in the frame before Maurcio reanswered with a kill to bring the score back within three. 

Down the stretch, the Cardinals would score four of the final five points, taking the set 25-18 and a 1-0 lead in the match. In the set, the Cardinals eclipsed a .400 hitting percentage, while the Soaring Eagles were held to a .133% clip. 

The Cardinals would take an early 4-1 lead in the second set after the Soaring Eagles hit a trio of attacks too long. The Fisher lead would stay at three before the Cardinals rallied to score four consecutive points, capped by a block to make the score 10-4, before the Soaring Eagles were forced to call its first timeout of the frame. The home team lead would stay within the 4-6 point range in the second before a block at the end of the set propelled the Cardinals to a 25-17 second-set victory. 

In the third, the Soaring Eagles would hold the early 4-3 advantage thanks to a pair of kills from Edwin Sosa…