Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 23, 2011) – With a workmanlike performance befitting a team that now has won three straight matches, the Vassar College men's volleyball team defeated SUNYIT 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-15) on Wednesday evening in a United Volleyball Conference match at Kenyon Hall.

The Brewers, now 12-7, 3-2 on the season, produced one of their best attack performances of the season with a .417 effort against the Wildcats. Vassar had only seven attack errors on 64 attempts, and were again led by the steady play of senior hitter Evan Fredericksen, who had 18 kills on 24 attempts with only one miscue, a .708 hitting percentage.

Vassar takes its three-match winning streak into a tri-match with MIT and NJCU on Saturday, February 26 at Kenyon Hall starting at 11:00 a.m. The Wildcats, which hit .133 for the match, but played gritty volleyball throughout the three sets, fall to 7-9, 1-5. SUNYIT will travel to Sage College on March 1 for a 7:00 p.m. match.

Each of the three sets had a similar pattern: the Brewers broke out to early leads, but SUNYIT kept itself in the match with hard-nosed play. Vassar opened a quick 9-2 lead in the first set, but the Wildcats got three straight kills with senior Johnathan Brochu serving to climb back into the set at 11-7. The Brewers surged ahead 19-13 on a Fredericksen kill and used a kill from junior hitter Lucas Rathjens to take a 24-16 lead. Vassar took the set 25-17 on a SUNYIT attack error.

Although the Brewers jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the second set, a kill from junior Ryan Meller got SUNYIT within 18-16. Vassar maintained a slim 23-20 lead but successfully closed out the set 25-21 with kills from Rathjens and sophomore hitter Charles Caldwell.

The third and deciding set saw Vassar take a 16-10 lead off a Fredericksen kill and never let SUNYIT into the set. Leading 20-13, Vassar earned five of the final seven points to take the match with a 25-15 win.

Following Fredericksen's 18 kills, the Brewers got eight kills from Rathjens and six from Caldwell. Sophomore John Konow had 22 set assists and shared that duty with junior Clifford Quinn who had 13 in the match. Sophomore Clifford La Du had 11 digs.

SUNYIT was led by Meller with 11 kills and six digs. Freshman Dylan Krowicki added six kills. Brochu had 29 set assists.