POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 17, 2015) – The Vassar College men's volleyball team (7-6, 0-2 UVC) will look to bounce back from back-to-back four-set losses against No. 10 and No. 14 Elmira this past Sunday with a non-conference match on Wednesday. The Brewers will travel to Mahwah, NJ to take on Ramapo Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.
 
Game Details
Opponent: Ramapo (4-7, 1-1 Skyline)
Links:  (Ramapo Men's Volleyball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Mahwah, NJ
Facility: Bradley Center
Date: February 18, 2015
Time: 7:00 pm
Twitter Coverage: (@VassarAthletics)(@VassarMensVB) (@RamapoAthletics)
Game Coverage: (Live Stats)
 
What To Look For
Vassar traveled to Elmira, N.Y. on Sunday to open UVC play. In a rematch of their 3-2 victory over No. 11 NYU on January 29^th, this time the Violets flipped the script, overcoming a 24-18 deficit in the first set on their way to a four-set victory over the Brewers. Vassar attempted to bounce back against No. 14 Elmira, but lost steam after the first two sets, again falling in four sets. The Brewers will look to use this non-conference match against Ramapo to bounce back, as they have several big games coming up, including three this weekend at the Bard College Tournament.
 
A Look at the Roadrunners (4-7, 1-1 Skyline)
Ramapo has played a very difficult schedule this season, already facing seven ranked teams. After opening their season with two wins in the Ramapo Tri-Match, the Roadrunners lost seven of their next eight contests, with all their losses coming to ranked opponents. This past week, Ramapo open Skyline play, falling to No. 2 Kean in four sets, before bouncing back to sweep Yeshiva. After Vassar, Ramapo heads to Rochester, NY on Saturday to take on No. 7 Nazareth and No. 14 Elmira.
 
The Roadrunners run a very balanced offense, with four players taking between 110 and 170 swings on the season. Freshman middle hitter Marinus Tavernier leads the way with 65 kills, hitting a team-high .247 (for players with more than 25 attempts). Tavernier is followed by sophomore outside hitter Connor Brandow, and freshman opposite Garret Fitzsimmons, who have 64 and 55 kills, respectively. Freshman setter Justin Feigeles runs the offense, totaling 271 assists. Feigeles also leads the team with 15 aces on the season. On defense, sophomore libero Kurt MacDonald and Feigeles pace the team with 71 and 64 digs, respectively.
 
Projected Starters: OH – Connor Brandow, OH – Spencer Shickora, MH – Marinus Tavernier, MH – Nick Amos, OPP – Garrett Fitzsimmons, S – Justin Feigeles, L – Kurt MacDonald
 
Against Ramapo All-Time
Vassar currently leads the series 15-5, dating back to 1993. The Brewers won the first seven meetings between the two teams. It's been the Roadrunners who have had the most recent success, however, winning the last two meetings, including a four-set victory on Feb. 1, 2014. Vassar's last win came on Jan. 22, 2011, where the team won in three sets.
 
Newbie
Freshman setter Zechariah Lee (Santa Clarita, CA/Saugus) came up big again for the Brewers, recording a double-double against NYU with 39 assists and 11 digs, before adding 37 assists against Elmira. Lee is currently fifth in the UVC, averaging 8.38 assists per set.

Leading Libero
Sophomore libero Trey Cimorelli (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) had a team-high 12 digs against NYU, and followed that up with a season-high 16 digs against Elmira. Cimorelli leads the team with 97 total digs, and is currently eighth in the UVC with 2.26 digs per set.
 
Ace Up The Sleeve
The Brewers are still leading the UVC in aces, averaging 2.17 aces per set. Lee and junior middle hitter Erik Halberg (Newark, DE/Salesianum) lead the way; Lee is currently first in the UVC and third nationally with 0.71 aces per set, while Halberg is tenth in the UVC with 0.35 aces per set.
 
Block Party
Freshman middle hitter Matthey Knigge (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt) continues to be a wall at the net, recording a total of 12 blocks over the two matches, including seven against NYU. Knigge is currently tied for seventh in the UVC with 1.00 blocks per set.
 
Outside Reserve
Sophomore Quinn Rutledge (Chesterfield, VA/Cosby) stepped up in a big way on Sunday, coming off the bench to record five kills on just 11 swings, while adding three digs and two blocks in just two sets of action against NYU.
 
Up Next
Vassar College will stay on the road, traveling to Bard this Friday and Saturday to take on CCNY, Staten Island, and Mount Saint Vincent at the Bard College Invitational. Next week, the Brewers travel to New York City to take on No. 9 Baruch on Friday evening at 5 p.m.