POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 13, 2015) – The Vassar College men's volleyball team opens conference play this Sunday at Elmira, NY. The Brewers have a huge rematch against No. 11 NYU at 2 p.m., before facing off against host No. 15 Elmira at 5 p.m. in United Volleyball Conference action.  The Brewers (7-4) are coming off a 3-0 win over Medgar Evers College Thursday.
 
Game Details
Opponent: NYU (3-2, 0-0 UVC)
Links:  (NYU Men's Volleyball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Elmira, NY
Facility: Spiedel Gymnasium
Date: February 15, 2015
Time: 2:00 pm
Twitter Coverage: (@VassarAthletics) (@VassarMensVB) (@NYUAthletics) (@NYUMensVolley)
Live Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)
 
Opponent: Elmira (9-6, 0-0 UVC)
Links:  (Elmira Men's Volleyball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Elmira, NY
Facility: Spiedel Gymnasium
Date: February 15, 2015
Time: 5:00 pm
Twitter Coverage: (@VassarAthletics) (@VassarMensVB) (@ECSoaringEagles)
Live Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)
 
What To Look For
The Brewers will look to get conference play started off right this weekend, which wasn't the case last year as VC went 0-2 over its first two UVC games. Vassar College is much deeper this season, and already has a win over NYU this year. Both NYU and Elmira are ranked, so victories Sunday would be a huge step towards qualifying for the postseason, six-team tournament.
 
A Look at the Violets (3-2, 0-0 UVC)
NYU is off to a solid start this season. To open the season, the Violets defeated Stevenson and Rutgers-Newark, both in five sets. After dropping a five-set thriller to the Brewers on Jan. 29, NYU bounced back to sweep Hunter. This past week, the Violets were swept by No. 4 SUNY New Paltz. This weekend's matchups will be the conference opener for NYU as well.
 
The Violets run a very outside-heavy offense, with all three pin hitters having at least 130 attempts. Junior outside hitter Nick Benson leads the way with 71 kills, and is currently second in the UVC with 4.18 kills per set. Sophomore outside hitter Chase Klein follows Benson with 67 kills on an impressive .328 hitting percentage, while junior opposite Colin LaPorte has recorded 51 kills on the season. Sophomore setter Patrick Merrick runs the offense, totaling 146 assists, and currently leads the UVC with 10.43 assists per set. On defense, senior libero Andrew Quirk paces the team with 31 digs.
 
Projected Starters: OH – Nick Benson, OH – Chase Klein, MH – Phil Bueno, MH – Sean Leahy, S – Patrick Merric, L – Andrew Quirk
 
Against NYU All-Time
Vassar is currently 12-29 all-time against NYU, dating back to 1990. The teams have played at least twice per season since 2000. The longest streak for either team was when NYU won ten straight between 2004 and 2008. In their last meeting on Jan. 29, 2015, the Brewers won in five sets.
 
A Look at the Soaring Eagles (9-6, 0-0 UVC)
Elmira has logged a lot of miles already this season, participating in four early-season tournaments. The Soaring Eagles went 2-1 at the Kean Men's Volleyball Classic, 1-2 at the Juniata Invitational, and 2-2 at the Thiel College Tournament. This past week, after falling to No. 7 UC Santa Cruz in five sets, Elmira bounced back to defeat Thiel, Ramapo, Medaille, and Wells to win the Golden Flyers tournament. This weekend's matchups will mark the start of the team's conference season.
 
Like NYU, the Soaring Eagles' offense is very outside-oriented. Junior outside hitter Erik Griffin leads the nation with 182 total kills already, and also leads the UVC with 4.23 kills per set. Griffin also leads the team with a .290 hitting percentage. Fellow junior outside hitter Mike Ellison follows Griffin with 122 kills, and currently is eighth in the UVC with 3.13 kills per set. Junior setter Carlos Faccio runs the offense, totaling 555 assists. Faccio also leads the nation with 34 aces. On defense, senior libero Rob Shade paces the team with 140 total digs, and is third in the UVC with 2.69 digs per set.
 
Projected Starters: OH – Erik Griffin, OH – Mike Ellison, MH – Matthew Buffum, MH – Dylan Kuhn, OPP – Tyler Smith, S – Carlos Faccio, L – Rob Shade
 
Against Elmira All-Time
Vassar is currently 2-2 all-time against Elmira, dating back to 2011. All of the matches between the two teams have been extremely close; with every match going at least four sets. The last Brewer victory came on Mar. 10, 2013, with Vassar winning in four sets. In the last meeting between the two teams on Feb. 9, 2014, Elmira won in four sets.
 
Balance Across The Board
The Brewers have three players with 70 or more kills coming into the weekend, led by the 83 finishes from freshman Matthew Knigge (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt).
 
Ace Up Your Sleeve
Vassar set its single-match high for service aces against Medgar Evers Thursday, posting 23 service finishes on the night. VC now averages 2.31 aces per set.
 
Do It All
Freshman Zechariah Lee (Santa Clarita, CA/Saugus) leads the team in assists with 274 and service aces with 23, while also placing second in total blocks with 31.
 
Trey The Digger
Sophomore captain and starting libero Trey Cimorelli (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) leads the team with 69 digs, and averages nearly two digs per set this season for the Brewers.
 
He's The Manley
The Brewers have multiple offensive options this season, but freshman Brian Manley (Buffalo, NY/Orchard Park) actually leads the squad with 2.88 kills per set. Manley has 23 kills in eight sets this year.
 
Up Next
Vassar College will stay on the road next week, traveling to Mahwah, NJ on Wednesday to take on Ramapo College, before taking on CCNY, Staten Island, and Mount Saint Vincent at the Bard College Tournament next Friday and Saturday.