POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 14, 2014) – This weekend, the Vassar College men's volleyball team will look to shrug off Wednesday night's 3-1 loss to No. 12 Stevens by heading to Emerson College in Boston, MA for a tri-match with the Lions and Endicott College. The Brewers have dropped three of their last four, all within the United Volleyball Conference, though Saturday starts a stretch of four games outside the league.

Vassar College (2-6)
(Vassar College Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Endicott College (3-2)      
Links: (Endicott Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Boston, MA
Facility:  Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym (500)
Date: February 15, 2014
Time: 2 p.m.

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Emerson College (4-4)     
Links: (Emerson Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Boston, MA
Facility:  Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym (500)
Date: February 15, 2014
Time: 4 p.m.

What To Look For
The Brewer offense has been solid when setting the outside and right-side hitters, but the team has not been using its middle hitters as much as other squads this season. Leading hitters Reno Kriz (Breinigsville, PA/Parkland) and Joe Pyne (Los Angeles, CA/Oakwood Secondary) have combined for 513 attempts this year, while Colin Fearn-Johnson (Honolulu, HI/Punahou) also has 121 attempts. Middle hitters Erik Halberg (Newark, DE/Salesianum School) and Christian Lizana (Dublin, PA/Pennridge) have combined for just 168 attempts this year from the middle, posting 72 kills in those chances. If VC could spread the ball to the middle a little more, VC's attack could be that much more potent.

A Look at the Gulls (3-2)
Endicott comes into the weekend with a 3-2 record, having earned victories over Daniel Webster, Emmanuel and Regis so far this year. The Gulls have won their last two matches, outscoring opponents 6-1 over that stretch in game victories. Endicott has held opposition to .183 hitting as a squad, while hitting nearly 80 percentage points higher.

Looking at the offense, the Gulls have been led this year by the trio of John Osborne, Mike Coniglione and Travis Netherton. Osborne leads the team with 39 kills, while Coniglione has 36 terminations and a team-high .364 hitting percentage. Netherton has 36 successful attacks for Endicott, and setter Carter Roche has 148 assists and is dishing out nearly 10 helpers per game. Roche adds a defensive presence from the setter spot with 32 digs, and libero Aaron Jessee has 37 digs as well for the Gulls. Osborne also has contributed 26 digs and a team-high seven aces.

Projected Starting Lineup: OH - John Osborne, MH – Mike Coniglione, S – Carter Roche, OH – Alex Wasik, MH – Travis Netherton, DS - Kristian Catalan, L – Aaron Jessee.

Against Endicott All-Time
The Brewers and Gulls have battled eight previous times, with Vassar holding a 6-2 record in those contests. VC has earned the win in the past four contests with Endicott, with the last win coming a year ago at the Carthage Tournament.

A Look at the Lions
Emerson has a 4-4 record on the season, winning the first two and the last two games, sandwiching four losses. The defense for the Lions this year has been very good, containing opposing hitters to just a .189 percentage on attacks. Emerson has chalked up 52 blocks on the year, with its opponents just rejecting a total of 40 attempts on the year. The Lions' serving game has been top notch as well, tallying 42 service aces.

Sophomore outside hitter Jackson Wiley leads the team with 88 kills, posting a .311 hitting clip on the year. Stanson Afoa has added 55 terminations, and Connor Burton and Dimitri Gorenc each have 34 kills. Brendan McGonigle leads the squad with 218 assists, and Jared Gross adds a team-best 93 digs. Burton paces the team with 15 blocks, and Wiley has chalked up 12 aces to lead the squad.

Projected Starting Lineup: OH – Jackson Wiley, RS – Stanson Afao, MB – Connor Burton, S - Brendan McGonigle, MB - Devin McIntyre, OH - Dimitri Gonrenc, L – Jared Gross.

Even Steven
The Brewers this season have accumulated the same amount of kills as their opposition, both totaling 334 successful attacks.

Biggest Little Attacker In The World
Sophomore Reno Kriz has had a fantastic start to the season, ranking fifth in the UVC in kills with 117, posting the third-most terminations per set with 3.90.

Fine Joe Pyne
Senior Joe Pyne has had a strong start to the season, posting five matches this far with double-figure kills. He also has 12 service aces and 49 digs as well.

Say Hey, Trey
The libero spot was in great hands over the last four years with Christian La Du, but this season Trey Cimorelli (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) has taken over nicely. Cimorelli is third in the league in digs per set with 2.96 as only a freshman.

Need A Roadblock
The Brewers have been solid in the back row, but the block this year is still a work in progress. The front row defense currently has 38 total rejections, which is 11^th in the UVC.

Ace Up His Sleeve
Serving has been a great advantage for Vassar so far this campaign, as the Brewers are second in the conference with 1.53 service aces this year.

Up Next
The Brewers return to Kenyon Hall this Tuesday, February 18 to entertain the Hawks of Hunter College at 7 p.m. non-conference action.