Elmira, NY – The SUNY Canton women's volleyball team came back from two sets down and trailing 12-7 in the fifth frame to earn a thrilling 3-2 (23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 16-14) victory against host Elmira College to open play in the Elmira College Invitational on Friday afternoon. They followed that up with a 3-0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-18) sweep of CCNY in the nightcap.

Game 1 - Box
Despite 13 kills in the opening set from the Roos, Elmira was able to nip out a 25-23 first set win. The Soaring Eagles (13-9) struck for 13 putdowns in the second frame compared to nine for SUNY Canton as EC opened up a two set lead.

The Roos (17-7) hung tough and battled to knot the match at 2-2 with identical wins in the third and fourth sets by scores of 25-20. SUNY Canton (24) had six more kills than Elmira (18) in the two sets.

The match would all come down to the decisive fifth frame. Trailing 12-7 in the stanza Head Coach Carol LaMarche inserted Haley Riley (Lowville, NY) into the lineup. The junior transfer made a huge difference in the middle on blocks at net and finished off a 5-0 run with a kill to knot the frame at 12-12.

Facing match point at 14-13, the Roos once again evened the match with a Morgan Bills (Walworth, NY) kill on a tip. Bills followed with a second kill off a quick set from freshman Peyton Robinson (Lowville, NY) and senior captain Rachel Lowther (Woodbridge,VA) closed out the match with a kill down the left side for the 16-14 fifth set victory.

Bills led all players with 21 kills, while Kelsy Cornish (Honeoye, NY) posted 13 kills and tied a match-high with 19 digs. Robinson dished out 47 assists including some pinpoint accuracy on her sets down the stretch, while Lindsay Bryer (Wilson, NY) struck for a career-high 11 kills to go with nine digs. Robyn Carroll (Bowmanville, ON) and Kiana Archer (Plattsburgh, NY) were both strong defensively combining for 34 digs.

Game 2 – Box
SUNY Canton (18-7) continued to roll in its second match of the day with a straight set victory v. the City College of New York. The Roos recorded 45 kills in the match compared to just eight for the Beavers (5-22).

Cornish led the way with 11 kills and eight digs, while Lowther posted 10 kills. Robinson dished out 35 assists and Bryer added nine digs.

The women's volleyball team will return to action on Saturday in the second day of the Elmira College Invitational. SUNY Canton faces Hunter College at 12 p.m. followed by a 4 p.m. match with SUNY Geneseo. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the SUNY Canton Athletics department by "liking" us on Facebook and "following" our Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts.

About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses, as well as 10 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 14 athletic teams compete as provisional members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.