POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 6, 2014) – The Vassar College men's volleyball team, coming off a 3-0 win over Bard College Wednesday, will look to keep the momentum rolling at the second United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Crossover of the season, hosted by Elmira College. Vassar will take on Medaille College and Penn State-Behrend Saturday afternoon, finishing UVC play for the year with a Sunday bout with Hilbert College.

Vassar College (5-14, 2-6 UVC)
(Vassar College Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)

Game Details
UVC CROSSOVER #2 WEBSITE
Opponent: vs. Medaille College (5-6, 5-3 UVC)  
Links: (Medaille Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Elmira, NY
Facility:  Speidel Gymnasium (2,000)
Date: March 8, 2014
Time:  9 a.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Opponent: vs. Penn State-Behrend (10-4, 4-3 UVC)          
Links: (PSU-Behrend Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Elmira, NY
Facility:  Speidel Gymnasium (2,000)
Date: March 8, 2014
Time:  1 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Opponent: vs. Hilbert College (4-18, 0-6 UVC)    
Links: (Hilbert Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Elmira, NY
Facility:  Speidel Gymnasium (2,000)
Date: March 9, 2014
Time:  11 a.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

What to Look For
Right now, the Brewers are currently sitting in ninth place in the UVC standings, one spot out of a playoff berth. Luckily for the Brewers, they take on two teams a game ahead of them in the standings along with one of the two winless teams in the conference in Hilbert College. The most important match of the season could be against Penn State-Behrend, which is 4-3 on the season within the conference right now. PSU-B still has to take on MIT and New Paltz, two teams ranked in the top 15 currently. If Vassar can earn two or three wins this weekend, it could catapult the Brewers into the UVC playoffs later this season.

A Look At The Mavericks
Medaille is coming into the weekend 5-6 overall and 4-3 in conference matches. Out of their last six in conference matches, the Mavericks have only lost two of them. They only fell in two hard fought five-set matches, to No. 7 Stevens Institute of Technology and No. 10 Nazareth. This week, Medaille received votes in the national rankings, having received votes on two or more ballots.

The Mavericks seem to rely heavily on senior right side, Trevor Barrett. He has over 150 more attempts than the hitter than has received second most sets, junior outside David Hill. Barrett has been a dominating force for the Mavericks, as he is second in the UVC in kills, averaging 4.11 finishes per set. Senior setter, David Riggsby, is currently sixth in the UVC in assists, averaging 8.84 helpers per set.

Potential Starting Line-Up: OH – David Hill, OH – Jack Hagerty, MB – Jordan James, RS - Calvin Crosby, RS – Trevor Barrett, S – David Riggsby, L – Nate Schneider.

Against Medaille All-Time
The Brewers are 3-2 in the all-time series against the Mavericks, having won both matches last year in three sets.
 
A Look At The Lions
The Lions are 10-4 overall, and 4-3 in conference matches. They are currently ranked fifth in the UVC. Their three in-conference losses have come from No. 7 Stevens Institute of Technology, No. 10 Nazareth and Medaille (5-6). As a team, the Lions have come up big defensively leading the UVC in digs, averaging 10.86 per set. They are also second in the conference in blocks, averaging 2.55 per set.

The Lions seem to run a pretty balanced offense. They have three players with over 200 attempts, though senior outside Nathan Steele has been receiving the most sets. He is seventh in the UVC in hitting percentage, swinging at a.362 clip. Sophomore middle, Kevin Smith has also been very effective for Penn State-Behrend. He is ninth in the UVC in hitting percentage, posting an attacking rate of .341. The Lions use two setters, senior Colin Ingram and freshman Mitch Farabaugh.

Potential Starting Line-Up: OH – Ty Sheehan, OH – Antonio Vazquez, OH – Grant Kocher, OH – Nathan Steele, MH – Josh Oertly, MH – Kevin Smith, S – Colin Ingram, S – Mitch Farabaugh, L – Derek Polishen.

Against Penn State-Behrend All-Time
The Brewers have only been played the Lions twice in the history of these two teams, with Vassar earning victories in both.

A Look At The Hawks
The Hawks have struggled out of the gates this season, going 4-18 thus far this season. The Hawks are currently 10th in the UVC in attacking percentage, swinging at a .133 rate on the season. Hilbert has allowed the highest hitting percentage this season, as teams are swinging at .303 rate. The Hawks sit right in the middle of the standings in digs, ranking eighth in ups with 9.44 digs per set.

Hilbert does feature the nation's leading leading kill specialist in Adam Weaver. Weaver posts 4.78 terminations per game, totaling 373 kills on the year. So far, Weaver has been set 867 times this campaign, 409 times more than Korey Schwab. Schwab has posted 145 successful attacks, and Adam Heftka quarterbacks the offense with 591 assists. Ryan Ratajczak and his 233 digs are a team-best, ranking first in the UVC in the category.

Against Hilbert All-Time
The Brewers have earned victories in each of the previous three meetings with Hilbert, taking nine of the 10 games played between the two teams. Last year, the Brewers earned a 3-1 win over the Hawks at a UVC Crossover.

Big Digger
Freshman Trey Cimorelli (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) has been stellar this season for the Brewers, leading the team with 191 digs, ranking third in the UVC in digs per set.

Iron Men
Sophomores Reno Kriz (Breinigsville, PA/Parkland) and Erik Halberg (Newark, DE/Salesianum) are the only two players to start all 19 matches this season for the Brewers.

Little Bit of Everything
Freshman Colin Peros (Honolulu, HI/Punahou) has served as the team's libero this season, while also playing defensive specialist in the back row and setting as well.

Defeat The Fourth
The Brewers have been solid in pretty much every set this season, except for the fourth game. In the 10 matches that have required a fourth set, Vassar has picked up just one set victory.

Quick Starters
Vassar has outscored its opposition in the opening set this year 441-424, the only set this year that the Brewers have posted more points than the other squad.

Killin It
Reno Kriz has had a breakout season for the Brewers, as he leads the team in terminations this season. He has posted double-digit kills in the 15 matches, including eight of the last 10.