Box Score

JERSEY CITY, NJ (March 6, 2010) – The Vassar College men's volleyball team, the No. 9 ranked team in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Top 15 Coaches Poll, won its ninth consecutive match and improved to 15-6 overall and 7-0 in the NECVA Metro Division with a 3-1 (30-23, 30-28, 30-21) victory over New Jersey City University on Saturday afternoon. Vassar now owns a 23-2 all-time record since joining the NECVA in 2008 and lead the all-time series against NJCU, 11-0. 

The Brewers put both seasonal and NECVA streaks on the line when they travel to Mt. St. Vincent College for a 7:00 p.m. match on March 9. NJCU drops to 8-6, 0-3. 

Vassar senior two-time All-American hitter Phil Tully paced the Brewers with 11 kills and a .320 attack percentage (11-3-25), adding eight digs and four blocks. Junior hitter Evan Fredericksen) had a team-best 12 kills and hit .259 (12-5-27), adding seven digs and two blocks. Freshman setter John Konow, this week's NECVA Conference Rookie of the Week, delivered 37 assists for a .446 percentage (83 attempts), adding four blocks, including two solo stuffs. Freshman hitter Matthew Elgin notched nine kills and a .350 percentage (9-2-20), with three blocks and two aces. Freshman hitter Patrick Donohue tallied six blocks and five kills (5-2-11, .273) while freshman libero Christian La Du had 10 digs. 

For NJCU, Austin Bryant had 21 kills and added eight digs and two blocks. Freshman outside hitter Jose Matta collected 12 kills, five digs and two aces. Freshman outside hitter Michal Kucza came off the bench to provide 10 kills. Junior libero Chris Edra defended 13 digs. Senior setter Felipe Siqueira had a season-high 30 assists on 64 dishes for a .469 percentage. 

Vassar hit .222 as a team (42-18-108) and combined for 13.0 team blocks. NJCU posted a .134 attack rate (46-30-119) but only 4.0 blocks. 

Vassar's high-powered offense allowed the Brewers to leap out to an early first-set lead as the Brewers hit .263 with 16 kills, while the Knights hit .077. Donohue and Tully each had four kills in the opening set as the Brewers grabbed an 18-9 lead and extended that advantage to 26-13 before NJCU cut the deficit to 29-23. 

The second set was an exceptional back-and-forth exchange of mostly errorless volleyball between the two divisional opponents. NJCU jumped out to an 8-4 lead after an ace by Matta, Kucza kill and Vassar error. Vassar tied it at 10-10 before NJCU regained a 12-10 margin on back-to-back kills by Bryant and Matta and a backrow winner by Kucza. A tip winner by Bryant made it 15-12 before Bryant's backrow kill extended the margin to 17-13. Three straight Vassar points, including a kill from Elgin, cut the margin to 17-16 before a kill by Kucza and a backrow rocket from Matta at the end of a long, exciting rally extended it to 19-16, forcing Vassar into a timeout. Kucza continued the trend with a kill, and Matta had a kill from the backrow for 21-16 lead. A Bryant roll from the backrow and one from the right side made it 23-17.

NJCU went ahead 24-17, but back-to-back kills from Fredericksen and a NJCU error cut it to 24-20. A Fredericksen jumped an ace for a three-point deficit. Miscommunication led to another VC point before a center-line violation cut it to 24-23. Sophomore hitter Lucas Rathjens had a kill on an over ball to tie it 24-24 and a combo-block by Elgin and Rathjens gave VC a 25-24 lead. Bryant's kill tied it before Elgin had a kill for 26-25. Matta tied it with a kill off the top of the block. The 6-foot-6 Tully, the 2008 NECVA Conference Player of the Year, slammed a ball over a triple block for a 27-26 lead before a passing error made it 28-26, visitors. Bryant cut it to 28-27 with a kill before a kill by Frederick followed by a Bryant backrow kill made it 29-28. Fredericksen sealed a 30-28 win with a kill. 

Each team had 11 kills in the third set, but NJCU made 12 attack errors (-.036) versus eight for Vassar. The third set saw NJCU take several early leads, including 8-4 on a Bryant backrow roll shot, Matta ace and Kucza line kill. But Vassar tied it at 8-8 on a Konow ace. After three more ties, the Brewers claimed a 16-11 lead after a solo block by Konow, Rathjens ace and combo block by Tully and Donohue.

A solo block by freshman middle blocker Davis Obi who had three in the match, cut it to 17-14 before a Fredericksen winner and Elgin block made it 19-14 and a combo stuff by Konow and Fredericksen, followed by a solo rejection by Konow increased it to 21-14. A Matta kill and three Vassar errors shaved the lead to 21-18. Elgin's kill down the middle and a combo block by Elgin and Rathjens made it 23-18. Fredericksen increased the lead to 25-19. Matta had a backrow slam but Tully tipped a winner for 26-20 and the Brewers scored five of the final six points for a 30-21 win to clinch the match.