Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

PITTSFORD, NY (April 13, 2013) – The 11th-ranked Vassar College men's volleyball team wrapped up its 2013 season Saturday at the United Volleyball Conference Championships. The fifth-seeded Brewers outlasted fourth-seeded and 10th-ranked NYU in five sets in the quarterfinal round before falling in three sets to the host school, second-ranked UVC regular season champion Nazareth. Vassar finishes 20-13 overall for its first 20-win season since 2008 and the second-highest win total in program history.

Vassar went up two sets to zero in the morning quarterfinal against NYU and ended up staving off a Violets rally for a 25-23, 25-23, 19-25, 24-26, 15-11 victory. The first set saw the Brewers rally from a 21-13 deficit to win, while the second stanza was a back and forth affair that Vassar did not put away until junior outside hitter Joe Pyne knocked down a kill immediately following an NYU service error.

Although the Brewers dropped the third set, they appeared to have Set 4 well in hand up 6-0 until the Violets charged right back into the lead. Senior middle hitter Patrick Donohue put up back-to-back solo blocks on set point to keep Vassar alive, but ultimately a service error and an NYU kill sent the match to five sets. Several Violets misplays early in the fifth set handed the Brewers a lead they would not relinquish; Donohue finished the match off with a kill that sent Vassar into the semifinals that afternoon against Nazareth.

Senior middle hitter Matt Elgin, named First Team All-UVC yesterday, hit .480 with 15 kills to lead the Brewers offensively. Pyne had 15 kills and nine digs and senior outside hitter Charlie Caldwell put up ten kills and nine digs, with double-doubles recorded by senior setter John Konow (46 assists, 10 digs) and freshman right side Reno Kriz (11 kills, 11 digs). Donohue finished with five blocks; Second Team All-UVC senior libero Christian La Du had ten digs.

Keith Waddell paced NYU with 20 kills and 12 digs, while Nick Capriccio (16 kills) and Colin LaPorte (10 kills, seven digs, six blocks) also put up double figures on offense. Connor Mortland handed out 51 assists with nine digs and four kills, while Andrew Quirk led the Violets defensively with 13 digs. NYU ended its season with a 14-13 record.

In the semifinal match against Nazareth, Kriz had eight kills and three blocks and Elgin swung a perfect 1.000 in his final match with six kills on as many attacks, but it was not enough to take down the 33-1 Golden Flyers. Nazareth took the match in straight sets by scores of 25-14, 25-19, 25-23. Grant Levermore had 17 kills and UVC Player of the Year E.J. Wells-Spicer handed out 44 assists for Nazareth, which will host third-seeded Stevens at 1:00 pm tomorrow in the UVC championship match.

Kriz and Pyne lead the returning cast for Vassar men's volleyball, which notched its sixth consecutive winning season and highest win total since a program-record 26 wins in 2008.