POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 22, 2014) – The Vassar College men's squash team played hosts for the 2014 Liberty League Championships Saturday afternoon, as the four other teams from around the conference came to Kenyon Hall for the first day of action.

The Brewers were able to earn an 8-1 win to start the proceedings off, knocking off Bard College in the Tournament's opening match. No. 2 St. Lawrence University and No. 5 University of Rochester each breezed through their two matches with 9-0 wins, while Hobart College and Bard College each dropped both matches played Saturday.

No. 57 Vassar 8, No. 59 Bard 1
The Brewers were able to pick up their first win of the season on Saturday, defeating No. 59 Bard College 8-1. The match started with a pair of walkover wins at No. 8 and No. 9, putting the Brewers immediately up 2-0 in the affair. Lucas Fifer (New York, NY/Eleanor Roosevelt) chalked up his second win of the season to put Vassar up 3-0.

Senior Noah Kulick (Cambridge, MA/Beaver Country Day) followed with a 11-0, 11-8, 11-5 win to put Vassar up 4-0, and Vincent Mencotti (Birmingham, MI/Brother Rice) clinched the match for the Brewers with an emphatic 11-3, 11-3, 11-3 win at No. 1 to earn the victory. Senior captain David Garfinkel (Larchmont, NY/Mamoroneck) was victorious at No. 3 11-6, 11-8 and 11-5, while Ryan Kurtzman (Chicago, IL/Latin School of Chicago) also earned a straight set win.

Junior Tim Boycott (Mbabane, Swaziland/Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA) was able to chalk up a four-set win. The Brewers dropped only one set during the match to the Raptors Saturday.

No. 5 Rochester 9, No. 57 Vassar 0
The Brewers had to take on one of the best teams in the nation in the nightcap Saturday, and though spirited, couldn't get much going in falling 9-0 to the Yellowjackets. Garfinkel and his opponent Ryosei Kobayashi had an entertaining match, and Garfinkel was able to come away with 13 points in the match.

Kulick battled at No. 4 against Michelangelo Bertocchi, and hit some great shots against the nationally-ranked player, falling 11-5, 11-3 and 11-7. Boycott was also in his match for much of the affair with Aria Fazelimanesh, but couldn't get over the hump, dropping an 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 decision.

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Day two of the Liberty League Championships are tomorrow afternoon in Kenyon Hall, with matches starting at 9 a.m. between Rochester and Bard, as well as St. Lawrence and Hobart. The Brewers return to the court at 11 a.m. against SLU, and finish play at 1 p.m. against the Statesmen.

The match of the day comes at 1 p.m. on courts 1, 2, 3, as the Yellowjackets and Saints of St. Lawrence squash off in a matchup of two Top 5 teams.

For more information, log onto the official tournament webpage HERE.