ELMIRA, NY. – The Wilkes men's volleyball team fell 3-1 to Elmira College on Wednesday afternoon at the Speidel Gymnasium, falling in a tightly contested match that was decided in a hard-fought fourth set.

Following tonight's match, the Colonels fall to 4-6 on the young season while the Soaring Eagles improve to a 4-3 overall record.

Elmira came out strong to open the match, claiming the first two sets by scores of 25-15 and 25-16 while holding a decisive advantage on the attack. The Soaring Eagles combined for a .594 hitting percentage through the opening sets, recording 22 kills with just seven errors. Wilkes struggled to find rhythm offensively, recording 13 kills with 14 errors for a -.046 hitting percentage. Elmira also controlled the service line with five aces, while the Colonels were unable to register one.

Refusing to surrender the third set, Wilkes jumped out to a 7–2 lead behind a strong stretch from Carter Otto (Mountain View, CA/Mountain View), who delivered three kills during the run. The Colonels maintained control through the stretch, holding a 16-12 advantage before closing the frame in dominant fashion with seven unanswered points. Otto and Joshua Conley (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks South) each found the floor during the run as Wilkes comfortably secured the set, 25-14, to extend the match. The Colonels found their rhythm offensively, hitting an efficient .417 in the set while limiting Elmira to a -.074 clip.

Set four began with the teams trading points through the opening stretch before Wilkes used a 5-1 run to seize momentum. Elmira quickly responded, answering with a 5-3 surge to tie the score at 14 and set up a tightly contested finish. The Soaring Eagles regained the edge late, but the Colonels refused to go away, forcing extra points after two key kills from Johnnathan Rocha (Wilkes Barre, PA/Holy Redeemer) gave Wilkes a 26-25 lead. Despite the late push to extend the match to a fifth set, Elmira ultimately prevailed in a hard-fought 30-28 decision to secure the match victory.

Conley directed the Colonels' offense with a team-high 35 assists, helping fuel a balanced attack led by Otto's 13 kills, with Logan Maha (Sayville, NY/Sayville) close behind at 10. Maha also controlled the net defensively, finishing with three blocks. In the back row, Sam Winter (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central)s paced the Wilkes defense with ten digs on the night.

Elmira's Drake Connors and Luke Jata paced the offense combining for a total 23 kills while Erik Ziemblicki led the passing game with 22 assists. Jata was also effective in the back row, recording a team-high 12 digs. 

Wilkes returns to action on Saturday, February 7, hosting Penn State Altoona and Cairn University for a Senior Day tri-match beginning at 12:00 p.m. The Colonels will recognize their senior class prior to the start of their second match of the day against Cairn at 4:00 p.m.