CCNY BOX

WENTWORTH BOX

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 25, 2012) – Vassar led in all statistical categories over two matches, and allowed 15 points to be scored only twice on the day, beating CCNY 25-14, 25-10, 25-12 and Wentworth 25-21, 25-17 and 25-13.

Vassar improves to 6-5 and returns to conference play at Bard College on Wednesday, February 29^th at 7:00 PM. The Brewers are currently 2-4 in the United Volleyball Conference.

In the opening match #10 Vassar faced off with the Beavers of CCNY.  The Brewers took control in the first set, taking leads as large as five points and forcing the Beavers' second time-out at 18-13. The respite proved no help, however, as Vassar would score seven of the next eight points to finish the set 25-14. Matt Elgin had four kills in the opening set. The home team dominance would continue in the second as serving and blocking would keep the Beavers on their heels, allowing the Brewers to hold a comfortable lead throughout before a convincing 25-10 win to go up two sets to none. An efficient Vassar offense hit .304 for the frame while holding the visitors to -.148. CCNY showed signs of life to start the third set, but were soon quieted by Vassar's aggressive serving and control of the net.

It was a convincing performance for the Brewers who outblocked the Beavers 7-0 and scored 14 service aces against only one from the visitors. Elgin set the standard for the match, notching 12 kills while hitting a scorching .611, and also chipping in two blocks and three aces. Patrick Donohue and Christian La Du had match-highs with five blocks and nine digs respectively. CCNY was led by Leudy Veras with seven kills.

In the second match of the day, Wentworth Institute of Technology swept CCNY 25-13, 25-19, 25-19, before taking the court against Vassar for the final match of the triple header. Vassar picked up where it left off, jumping to a quick 5-1 lead before the visiting Leopards turned it into a fight, closing the gap to earn ties at five and eight. Both teams battled through the middle of the set until 17-15, when following a Wentworth serving error, the Brewers went on a run of five straight kills, two each from Charlie Caldwell and Joe Pyne, and one from Elgin, leaving them with an eight point lead at 23-15. Despite a seeming reluctance to finish the set – three straight hitting errors - Vassar closed it out on a Donohue kill, 25-21. Pyne and Caldwell each had four kills in the set.

It was Wentworth's turn to start hot in the second and held a 4-1 lead of their own before the Brewers got going and tied it at 5-5. The middle of the set was again tight, with neither team able to establish control until Vassar stretched their lead to 17-13 with the help of a Wentworth service error, their ninth of the match. That cushion stood until four consecutive kills forced a Leopard timeout at 22-16. A Brewer attack error cut the lead to five, but that was the end of the scoring for Wentworth and Vassar took a 2-0 lead with the 25-17 win.  Pyne  kept the hot hand in the set, putting down four kills on six attempts with no errors.

The third set began with yet another 4-1 lead, this one Vassar's, and after the two teams combined for eight attack and service errors, Wentworth needed a time out down 10-6. The Brewers stretched the lead to seven before the Leopards could side-out, a margin that was not really threatened for the remainder of the match - and would grow to as many as 11 at 23-12 - until an ace from freshman Colin White-Dzuro completed the sweep with a 25-13 win.

Vassar totaled 42 kills in the match, more than doubling Wentworth's output of 19. They offense came in balanced fashion, with Caldwell and Lucas Rathjens each with nine, Pyne with eight and Elgin with seven. LaDu would once again lead all players with 10 digs, while Donohue would beat his block total from the early match with six. John Konow would distribute 36 assists to go with his 11 from the first match.