ELMIRA, N.Y.—The 16th-ranked Hobart volleyball team earned a crucial 3-0 conference win over Elmira this afternoon in Speidel Gymnasium. The Statesmen move to 17-10 overall with a 3-4 mark in the United Volleyball Conference, while the Soaring Eagles fall to 9-12 overall and 1-6 in conference play.

Hobart put on a dominant performance in the conference matchup. The Statesmen put down 40 kills (.447) compared to the Soaring Eagles' 29 (.175). Hobart combined for 32 digs to Elmira's 27 and held a 5-0 edge in blocks through three sets. The Statesmen served up four aces and tallied zero reception errors in the sweep.

Graduate student Andrew Kim led Hobart with 18 kills (.531) on only one error. He added three digs, two service aces, one block and one assist in the win. First-year Daniel Sappia chipped in eight kills (.200), four digs, three blocks and three assists. Classmate Aiden Kemora added seven kills (.429) four digs and two assists in the sweep.

Jordan Peiser led Elmira with nine kills (.037) and five digs. Max Cohen tallied 27 assists, four digs and one kill in the loss.
  
MATCH MOMENTS:

• The Statesmen grabbed an early lead and put down 10 kills (.375) in the opening set compared to the Soaring Eagles eight (.042). Elmira recorded seven hitting errors to hand Hobart a 25-17 loss in set one.
• Hobart continued on its momentum into the second set with 16 kills (.429) as a team compared to Elmira's nine (.240). Kim exploded for eight kills (.538) and one ace to lead the Statesmen to a 25-22 win in set two to extend the lead to 2-0.
• The Statesmen used a balanced attack in the third set and found four kills from first-year Grayson Getz (1.000), three from Kim (.333) and three from Kemora (.286). Despite Elmira's best set offensively with 11 kills (.194) as a team, Hobart closed out the sweep with a convincing 25-19 win in set three.

MATCH STATS:

• Kim led the Statesmen with 18 kills (.531), while Sappia added eight (.200). Kemora chipped in seven kills (.429) while first-year Grayson Getz added five kills on zero errors (1.000).
• First-year setter Zack Farren recorded a match-high 30 assists. He added four digs in the win and one service ace.
• Hobart recorded 32 digs as a team and were led by first-year libero Gavin Meador with 14. Sappia, Kemora and Farren all chipped in four digs each.
• The Statesmen combined for five total blocks to the Soaring Eagles zero. Sappia and first-year Nate Magni led the way with three each while Getz added two.

COACHES CORNER:

"I'm really proud of the team for earning our third UVC win of the season," said Head Coach Steve England. "We have matured as volleyball players and as people this first season. I am excited to finish the regular season strong with our last match at Buffalo State next month."

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action Saturday, April 6, when it heads to Buffalo for its regular season finale against Buffalo State. First serve between the Statesmen and the Bengals is set for 1 p.m. in the Buffalo State Sports Arena.