Stevens Box Score
Fredonia Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 30, 2010) -- Despite dropping two tightly contested matches on the second day of the Vassar College Invitational, the Vassar women's volleyball team finished the weekend with a 2-2 record and held on for a second place finish. Vassar lost both matches in thrilling five-set affairs, first to Stevens Institute of Technology 3-2 (25-14, 14-25, 12-25, 25-21, 19-17) and a second against SUNY Fredonia 3-2 (25-27, 25-22, 12-25, 25-16, 15-12).

Stevens won the annual Invitational, finishing with a perfect 4-0 record. The Ducks were led by Invitational MVP Julia Reilly and were also represented on the All-Invitational Team by senior libero Maggie Majcher. Vassar sophomore hitter Chloe McGuire, Daemen College freshman setter Kaley Vazquez, senior middle Emily Kline of Kings College and senior middle Kaitlynn Erdmann of SUNY Fredonia rounded out the all-tournament team.

Vassar, now 16-13 on the season, will next compete at the Liberty League Championships hosted by St. Lawrence University on November 5-6.

SUNY Fredonia def. Vassar 3-2 (25-27, 25-22, 12-25, 25-16, 15-12)
With its match against Fredonia tied at two sets apiece, Vassar scored the first point off of a McGuire kill, but quickly fell behind 4-1. While Fredonia was unable to extend its lead beyond three points, the Blue Devils managed to stave off numerous Vassar comeback attempts. While the Brewers were able to cut the deficit to one point on multiple occasions, they were never able to break through and force a tie. Erdmann shut the door on any potential Vassar comeback, notching the final three kills for the Blue Devils and securing a 15-12 win.

Vassar jumped out to an early lead in the match, taking the first set 27-25. Fredonia controlled the action early, taking an 8-2 lead, but with Vassar senior hitter Julianna Simon serving, the Brewers reeled off ten straight points. Simon herself put the exclamation point on the run with three aces. The Blue Devils battled back tying the match at 14 and the two squads traded leads until a Chelsea Mottern ace put the set away for the Brewers, 27-25.

The second set picked up where the first one left off, with neither team able to establish a large lead. Both squads were within three points for the duration of the set, which Fredonia took 25-22. In the third set, Vassar displayed a relentless attack, maintaining pressure throughout, and cruised to a 25-12 win, to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The fourth set saw the two squads battle for control early, with neither side holding an advantage. With the set tied at 11-11, Fredonia reeled off six straight points, establishing control and earned a 25-16 victory in the set.

Stevens Institute of Technology def. Vassar 3-2 (25-14, 14-25, 12-25, 25-21, 19-17)
The first match of the day saw Friday night's two unbeaten teams square off. In the deciding fifth set, Stevens jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind the serving of senior Sara Budar, only to see Vassar respond. The Brewers counter-punched, notching a 9-6 lead led by the serving of freshman Rose Carman and a high-pressure attack that forced numerous errors from the Ducks. Stevens would not fold as it battled back to tie the match at 11-11. 

After Vassar took a 12-11 lead on a Stevens attack error, the teams traded points until the match was tied at 17. In that stretch, Stevens had three match points, whereas the Brewers had one. With the match tied at 17, the Ducks rallied off a pair of kills, one from freshman Chrissy Dickinson, and the match-winner from junior Amethyst Holder.

The first set saw Vassar fall into an early hole. After winning the initial point, the Brewers dropped the next 10 points and could not cut the deficit lower than seven, as Stevens rolled to a 25-14 decision. In the second set, the Brewers reversed course, jumping out to an 11-3 lead behind the serving of McGuire and Simon's hitting. Vassar eventually extended its lead to 22-10 and cruised to a 25-14 victory to even the match at 1-1.

Vassar continued its run in the third set jumping out to a 20-6 lead. With the Brewers leading 8-5, Simon began her serve, and behind three kills from junior Amy Bavosa extended the lead to 16-5. From this point, the Brewers sailed to a 25-12 win in the set and a 2-1 lead in the match. In the fourth set, the two squads traded points for much of the set, with Stevens constantly holding a slight lead. The Ducks maintained that advantage the whole way, en route to a 25-21 victory to send the match to the decisive fifth set.

Against Stevens, Vassar was led by the trio of Bavosa, McGuire and freshman Jessie Ditmore with 16, 15 and 12 kills respectively. Koenigs paced the Brewer offense with 42 set assists in the match, while Mottern keyed the defense with 15 digs.

Prior to their match against Stevens, Vassar honored its three graduating seniors: Simon, Mottern, and Yevgeniya Sergeyenko who played in their final home matches.