Box Score

NEW PALTZ, NY (February 9, 2011) – In putting together one of the best performances of the season, the Vassar College men's volleyball team rallied from a set down to take three straight sets and defeat cross river rival SUNY New Paltz 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-22) on Wednesday night.

Now 5-4 on the season, the Brewers will play in the Endicott Tournament on February 12-13. Vassar meets SUNYIT on Saturday at 3:00 pm and Baruch at 5:00 pm. Sunday's opponents are determined following Saturday's results. New Paltz drops to 4-5 and will play at the Nazareth Tournament on Friday and Saturday.

The Brewers got a second 20 kill outing from senior hitter Evan Fredericksen and 35 assists from junior setter Clifford Quinn, three off his career high of 38 earned against Johnson & Wales last season. The Brewers frontline produced notable numbers, as sophomore Charles Caldwell earned his second straight double figures kill match with 10 kills and junior Lucas Rathjens supplemented the offense with 10 kills as well. Caldwell and Rathjens made just two attack errors. Junior Christian La Du had a season-best 18 digs.

Keith McDonald had 12 kills for the Hawks and Mike Van Tyne added 10 kills.  Andrew Cassius had 34 set assists and Frank Ciccone had 13 digs.

Vassar closed out the match with a 25-22 victory in the fourth set. The set was tied seven times, the major deadlocks coming at 20-20 when Caldwell notched a kill off a Quinn set and 21-21 after a New Paltz service error. Up until that point, neither team enjoyed more than a two-point lead. Vassar won the last three points of the match on two Hawks attack errors and a service miscue.

The Brewers eased into a 25-18 third set victory by winning 11 of the final 16 points when leading 14-13. In that run, Vassar got a pair of kills from Fredericksen – who closed out the set with a kill – and solo numbers from Rathjens and sophomores Matthew Elgin and Patrick Donohue.

Vassar evened the match at 1-1 after a narrow 25-23 victory in the second set. Tightly contested, the set was tied at 23-23 late, but it was only the sixth tie of the set. The Brewers built a 16-12 lead off a Fredericksen kill and maintained a two or three point lead until a Vassar attack error enabled New Paltz to tied the set a 23-all. Fredericksen pushed Vassar ahead 24-23 after a big kill off a Quinn assist. A Hawks attack error gave the Brewers the set victory.

New Paltz took the opening set 25-18 following a fairly tight opening set that saw the Brewers within two points, 18-16, before the Hawks went on a 7-2 run to win the opening set.