ELMIRA, N.Y.—The Hobart College volleyball team closed out the Elmira Invitational with wins over Drew University and Kean University this afternoon. The Statesmen opened the day with a 3-2 win over the Rangers, followed by a 3-1 win against the Cougars to move to 3-0 on the weekend. Hobart is now 8-1 in its inaugural season and extends its win streak to seven. Drew falls to 2-4 on the season while Kean sits at 4-3 overall.

Graduate student Andrew Kim led the Statesmen with 44 kills through two matches, including a career-high 31-kill (.480) showing against Kean. He chipped in seven digs, three assists, two service aces and two blocks in the wins. Kim led Hobart to an impressive .380 hitting percentage against a tough Cougar team in the weekend finale.

First-year Daniel Sappia continued to impress for Hobart, tallying 34 kills, 15 digs, four service aces and two assists on the afternoon. Classmate Zack Farren ran the Statesmen offense from the setting position, recording 69 assists, nine digs and one block through two matches.
  
MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (Drew):

• Hobart grabbed the early momentum with 11 kills, hitting .214 as a team. First-year Anthony Zontini led the way with five kills, hitting .333 as the Statesmen opened the match with a convincing 25-17 win in set one.
• The Rangers responded well in the second with nine kills as a team. The Statesmen tallied 11 hitting errors in the second as Drew slipped away with a late 25-22 win to tie the match at 1-1.
• The errors continued to plague Hobart in the third as the Statesmen racked up 10 errors to its 13 kills. Zontini and classmate Aiden Kemora led Hobart with a combined 10 kills, but it wasn't enough as the Rangers grabbed a 2-1 lead thanks to a 26-24 win in set three.
• The Statesmen produced its best performance of the match in the fourth, combining for 18 kills as a team compared to the Rangers' eight. Kim exploded for 10 kills after entering the match for the first time in the fourth. Hobart's .567 hitting percentage was enough as the Statesmen sent the match to a decisive fifth set with a dominating 25-18 win in the fourth.
• The Statesmen continued their momentum into the fifth, hitting a match-best .667 % as a team on zero errors. Hobart's clean play propelled the Statesmen to their first five-set victory of the season.

Match stats:

• Sappia led the Statesmen through five sets, putting down a career-high 17 kills (.205). Kim added 13 kills on 20 swings (.600) in the final two sets. First-year Anthony Zontini chipped in 12 (.147), while classmate Aiden Kemora tallied a career-high eight kills (.150)
• First-year setter Noah DeLong ran the offense in the first two sets, recording 17 assists, four digs, three service aces and one kill. Classmate Zack Farren finished the match in the setter position, tallying 28 assists and five digs.
• The Statesmen combined for 49 digs compared to Drew's 34. Leading the way for the Statesmen was first-year libero Gavin Meador with 12. Kemora added 10 while Sappia chipped in six.

Match 2 (Kean):

• The first set between the Statesmen and the Cougars saw both teams trading waves of momentum. Despite Hobart outhitting Kean, the Cougars saw the late momentum shift in their favor to grab a 25-22 opening set win.
• The Statesmen responded well, hitting .500 as a team as Hobart combined for 13 kills. The Statesmen's strong serving forced the Cougars out of system often which allowed Hobart to capitalize. Hobart came out victorious in set two, 25-17.
• The Statesmen continued its offensive momentum into the third and added a huge spark defensively. Hobart held Kean to a -.015 hitting percentage with a match-low six kills to grab a 25-19 win in the third.
• Hobart caught the hot hand in the fourth, combining for 15 kills (.393) as a team. The Statesmen didn't allow the Cougars to grab any momentum back and continued to roll throughout the remainder of the set. Kim led Hobart with nine kills in the fourth as the Statesmen closed out the match with a 25-18 win.

Match stats:

• Kim dominated with a career-high 31 kills, hitting .480 through four sets. Sappia matched his career-high of 17 kills and produced a .462 hitting percentage.
• Farren continued to shine in the setter position as he recorded a career-high 41 assists in the win. He added four digs and one block for Hobart.
• Hobart played a scrappy defensive game and came up with 27 digs as a team compared to the Cougars' 23. Sappia led the way with nine, while Meador chipped in seven.
• The Statesmen served strong against Kean and combined for eight service aces in the win. Sappia led the team with four, while Kim added two.

COACHES CORNER:
 
"The team showed a lot of grit today," said Head Coach Steve England. "Our first ever five set match ending in a win is a big achievement. Credit to Drew for putting us on the ropes after a decisive first set for us. The Kean match was another example of this team's resilience. After dropping a close first set we turned on the pressure from the service line and took care of the first touches that made the difference in the outcome. My biggest takeaway is that for such a young team, they are not scared of competition. They embrace the challenges in front of them head on. I'm very proud of this team this weekend."

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action Saturday, Feb. 3, when it heads to Buffalo, New York, for a tri-match with UC Santa Cruz and nationally ranked St. John Fisher College. First serve between the Statesmen and the Banana Slugs is set for 2 p.m. followed by a matchup with the fifth-ranked Cardinals at 4 p.m.