Men's Volleyball to Host Newbury College, Mount Ida College

The Matchup: Elms College Blazers (3-1 overall, 1-0 NECC) vs. Newbury College Nighthawks (1-0 overall, 1-0 NECC) vs. Mount Ida College Mustangs (0-0 overall)
Date: Saturday, February 4
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Site: Picknelly Arena (Chicopee, Mass.)
Click here for directions to Elms College
Click here for live stats

All-Time Series-Newbury College: Newbury leads the series, 20-3 since 2003.
All-Time Series-Mount Ida College: Elms leads the series, 9-6 since 2003.
Last Meeting-Newbury: Newbury won, 3-1 on March 26, 2011.
Last Meeting-Mount Ida: Elms won, 3-2 on Jan. 29, 2011

Setting The Scene: Elms enters weekend action having won three matches in a row including a 3-0 sweep over Lesley University on Feb. 2 in its 2012 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) opener. Newbury earned a 3-2 victory over league rival Daniel Webster College on Feb. 2 in its season opener, while Mount Ida takes the court for the first time this season.

Scouting The Nighthawks: In Newbury's season-opening match against Daniel Webster, Newbury never trailed in the pivotal fifth taking control of a 5-5 set with a 5-1 run keyed by kills from Justin Franks (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) and Chris Chin (Brockton, Mass.). The Eagles trailed 14-10 and pulled within one (13-14) but an attack error sealed the win for Newbury.

Scouting The Mustangs: Mount Ida enters Saturday's tri-match under the direction of first-year head coach Craig Martin. Coach Martin spent the last six seasons as an assistant at Rivier College, helping the Raiders to four consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) titles from 2008-11 and the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) title in 2006.

Scouting The Blazers: Elms takes the court for its home-opener fresh off a sweep of NECC foe Lesley in its most recent outing. Senior outside hitter Yonalvy Acosta (Holyoke, Mass.) and junior outside hitter Stephen Cameron (Newington, Conn.) helped pace the Blazers to its third straight victory with eight kills each, while sophomore setter Kevin Welsh (Wilbraham, Mass.) directed the charge with 13 assists.

NECC Weekly Accolades: Freshman middle hitter Angel Castro (Carolina, Puerto Rico) earned his first collegiate weekly honor after helping the Blazers to a 2-1 finish at the season-opening SUNY IT in Utica, N.Y. Casto averaged 1.46 kills and 3.23 digs per set with a .304 hitting percentage. In a four set victory over Lancaster Bible College, he recorded seven kills and added 12 digs and three blocks to help seal the win.

Keeping Track Of Blazers' Athletics: For the latest news, notes and statistics visit athletics.elms.edu or call the office of sports information at (413) 265-2440. Fans can follow the Blazers on Facebook and on live stats!