Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 29, 2014) – The Vassar College men's volleyball squad hosted another tri-match against top competition Saturday afternoon, this time entertaining No. 1 ranked Springfield College and Division I Sacred Heart University. The Brewers fell to Springfield College in three games, but responded with a thrilling 3-2 win over Sacred Heart University in action from Kenyon Hall.

Game 1: Springfield 3, Vassar 0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-22)

The visiting Pride of Springfield (20-8) were able to post a few more kills and a few more service aces in earning a 25-18, 26-24 and 25-22 win over the Brewers. The first set was close with the Pride up just two at 13-11, but Springfield would up its lead to as many as eight at 22-14 in earning the early lead.

It looked like the Brewers were going to knot the match at one late in the second set, leading 24-21 with the serve. Springfield's pair of Sean's in Sean Zuvich and Sean Peterson would put the Pride on their backs over the last five points, as the two combined for five straight kills to come from behind for the 26-24 win.

VC didn't go away in the third and final set, trimming a 14-7 lead down to as much as two at 22-20 after a 4-0 run, prompting a timeout from SC. Junior Colin White-Dzuro (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Royal St. George) kept VC within two at 24-22, but a kill from Luis Vega earned the win for the Pride.

Senior Joe Pyne (Los Angeles, CA/Oakwood Secondary) had a team-best 13 kills, while Reno Kriz (Breinigsville, PA/Parkland) finished with nine kills. Junior Colin Fearn-Johnson (Honolulu, HI/Punahou) had seven kills for VC, which hit a very solid .225 (31-13-80) on the day. Freshman Trey Cimorelli (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) and Colin Peros (Honolulu, HI/Punahou) combined for 12 digs for VC.

Zuvich finished with a game-best of 18 kills for Springfield, and Vegas added 10 kills and seven digs in the win. Springfield also knocked off Sacred Heart in the middle game of the day in straight sets as well, as Vega had 28 kills for the Pride.

Game 2: Vassar 3, Sacred Heart 2 (25-18, 20-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12)

The Brewers came into Saturday's evening contest with the Pioneers of Sacred Heart University 0-4 in five-set matches this year. The Pioneers were playing their fourth match in three days, so the Brewers were able to wear down SHU and rally for the upset.

VC (9-19) shot out of the gates, earning an emphatic first-set victory to take the 1-0 match lead. Sacred Heart would hold Vassar to negative hitting in the second game, causing 10 attacking errors in evening the match at one. Sacred Heart was able to capture a back-and-forth battle in the third set, as the match was tied 11 times, with the lead changing hands three times.

Down two sets to one, the Brewers did not lay down, hitting at a .333 rate in the fourth game to force the fifth game. In the fourth set, Vassar was down 17-13, but manufactured a 9-3 run to take a 22-20 lead. Sacred Heart evened the set at 23, but two kills from Pyne sent the match to a fifth game.

In the final set, Vassar fell behind 3-1, but ripped off six of the next eight points to take a 7-5 edge. The Brewer lead swelled to as much as four at 13-9, and VC would fight off a late attempt to rally by the Pioneers in capturing their first five-set win since April 23 in the UVC Tournament last year against New York University.

Kriz was huge for Vassar College, as he totaled 26 kills, hitting at a .400 rate. Pyne added 14 kills and six digs, while Quinn Rutledge (Chesterfield, VA/Cosby) had six kills, three digs and three assisted rejections. Freshman Christian Lizana (Dublin, PA/Pennridge) had one of his best games of his career, registering six kills and six assisted blocks.

White-Dzuro handed out 52 assists to go with four rejections, and Cimorelli had a game-best 16 digs. VC swung at a .243 percentage (58-25-136), but chalked up one of its best defensive games of the year with 10 total team blocks.

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Vassar College will now focus on Thursday evening, as it will play host to NYU in Kenyon Hall at 7 p.m. in non-conference play.