POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 16, 2015) – The Vassar College women's volleyball team did what it needed to do to keep its Liberty League Tournament chances alive, sweeping a pair of conference matches against Bard College and Skidmore College in action from the Athletics and Fitness Center Friday evening. VC (11-9, 5-5 Liberty) knocked off Bard College 25-11, 25-21 and 25-11, followed by a 25-21, 25-13, and 25-15 win over the Thoroughbreds.

Vassar 3, Bard 0
In the opening match of the Liberty League crossover, the Brewers posted the second-most kills in a three-set win this year with 37 as VC moved to 19-0 against the Raptors all-time. The Brewers led visiting Bard in most statistical categories, including outhitting the Raptors .184-.075 on the evening.

The opening set was all Brewers, as VC posted 15 kills on 32 swings, led by the five terminations from junior Gabby Miller (Scottsdale, AZ/Horizon). Vassar also held its opponents to just five finishes on 26 attacks in the set, using a 9-1 run through the middle of the set to pull away.

The second game was close during the early parts of the set, but with the score tied at five the Brewers went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by excellent serving from freshman Lauren Ninkovich (Portland, OR/Oregon Episcopal School). Bard (10-15, 0-9 Liberty) didn't go away, rallying to take a 20-19 lead, but five consecutive points by the Brewers pushed them to a 2-0 match lead.

The Raptors led for most of the third set and held a 20-18 lead after a kill by Sofia Koukia. Vassar buckled down, and got three straight kills from sophomore Alex Sams (Los Angeles, CA/Beverly Hills) to retake a 21-20 advantage. Following Sams' binge of tallies, fellow sophomore Sophia Tiajoloff (Kinnelon, NJ/Kinnelon) served up back-to-back aces for a 23-20 VC lead.

Bard inched back after an error on the Brewers, but Vassar was able to clinch the match after a ball handling and attack error by the Raptors. Sophomore Bria Corham (Kansas City, MO/Montville Township) led the Brewers offensively with 10 terminations, adding four digs, and Sams chalked up eight finishes, one short of her career high of nine.

Freshman Devan Gallagher (San Francisco, CA/Urban School of San Francisco) added six kills, while Tiajoloff posted 18 assists, five digs and three kills. Senior libero Chloe Hallum (Olympia, WA/Olympia) added 16 digs, while Ninkovich posted 10 digs and two aces in the win. VC registered nine total services on the match.

Vassar 3, Skidmore 0
The Brewers continued their torrid hitting in the second match of the day, chalking up the most kills in a three-game victory with 42 terminations. Vassar had three players with 10 or more kills against Skidmore, which was the first time VC had accomplished that feat since September 11 against Medaille College. It also marked the first time that feat happened in a three-set match since Senior Day last season when all three seniors, Clara Cardillo, Taylor Mosley and Marie Pitre posted the feat.

Interestingly enough, Mosley was in the gym Friday evening to witness the win for the Brewers over Skidmore, as Vassar .221 (42-17-113) for the match, the third-highest percentage of the season. In the opening game, Vassar took an early lead, but Skidmore (7-17, 1-5 Liberty) battled back to take an 18-16 lead.

VC rallied and with the score knotted at 19 chalked up four straight points, two coming off the hand of Miller. The junior earned another kill to make the score 24-21 for VC, and then ended the set with an assisted block with help from fellow junior Sarah Roberts (Port Washington, NY/P.D. Schreiber). In that first game, Hallum totaled a whopping 10 digs for the Brewers.

The second game was all Vassar, thanks to some great defense that held Skidmore to -.103 hitting in the set. That was plenty for VC, as Sams and Gallagher combined for 11 kills between them to take a 2-0 match lead.

The final game was much of the same for the Brewers, as Vassar notched the final nine points of the match to turn a close third set into a 25-15 victory. Gallagher led all scorers with 14 kills, which tied for the second-most terminations in a match in her career.

Miller tallied 11 kills, nine digs and two aces, while Sams finished with 10 kills on 24 swings. Freshman setter Annie MacMillan (Colorado Springs, CO/Coronado) was great in the second match of the day, totaling a career-best 37 assists. Hallum chalked up 21 digs in the match for VC, and Corham added six kills, five digs and three aces.

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Vassar will head to Bard College tomorrow afternoon for more Liberty League action, finishing conference play with two huge matches. VC will take on Union College at 12 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. battle against Rochester Institute of Technology at Stevenson Athletic Center.