POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 24, 2015) – The Vassar College men's volleyball team (10-7, 0-2 UVC) will travel to New York City, New York, to take on No. 10 Baruch College this Friday. The two teams will face off at 5 p.m. in the Arc Arena.
 
Game Details
Opponent: No. 10 Baruch (7-3, 5-1 CUNYAC)
Links:  (Baruch Men's Volleyball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: New York City, New York
Facility: Arc Arena
Date: February 27, 2015
Time: 5:00 pm
Twitter Coverage: (@VassarAthletics)(@VassarMensVB) (@BaruchAthletics)
Game Coverage: (Live Stats)
 
What to Look For
This past weekend, Vassar traveled to Annandale-On-Hudson, NY, to participate in the Bard College Tournament. The Brewers dominated the competition, winning in three sets over Staten Island and CCNY on Friday, before sweeping Mount Saint Vincent 3-0 on Saturday. Despite going 3-0 on the weekend, the Brewers were runners-up to Rutgers-Newark based on points. Vassar is hoping to carry this momentum into this big game against a top-ten opponent, before continuing with UVC play next weekend.
 
A Look at the Bearcats (7-3, 5-1 CUNYAC)
Baruch has had a very solid start to this season. After going 1-1 at the Juniata Tri-Match, defeating Elmira 3-2 before falling to then-No. 1 Juniata in four sets, the Bearcats rattled off four consecutive victories, including a five-set victory over Ramapo. Baruch then lost to No. 2 Kean in three sets and rival Hunter in five sets, but then responded by sweeping Medgar Evers and Staten Island. Before this Friday, Baruch also takes on NYU on Tuesday evening, and Lehman on Thursday night.
 
The Bearcats run a very balanced offense, with all three of their pin hitters having between 80 and 105 kills on the season. Senior outside hitter Nick Smith leads the way with 102 kills, while junior outside hitter Brady Ambro and senior outside hitter Chris Kaimis follow with 91 and 81 kills, respectively. Junior setter Scott Standring runs the offense, totaling 304 assists on the season. On defense, junior libero Taylor Higgs and Standring lead the way with 59 and 55 total digs, respectively.
 
Projected Starters: OH – Nick Smith, OH – Chris Kaimis, OH – Brady Ambro, OH – Man Wai Choi, MH – Braden Carter, S – Scott Standring, L – Taylor Higgs
 
Against Baruch All-Time
Baruch currently leads the all-time series 6-3, dating back to 1989. After playing three consecutive years from 1989 to 1991, the teams did not meet again until 2010. The last Vassar victory came on March 30, 2012 at the Vassar Invitational in four sets. The teams last played on January 24, 2014, where the Bearcats won in four sets.
 
Towering Terror
Freshman middle hitter Matthew Knigge (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt) dominated this weekend, putting down nine kills while hitting at least .385 in each of the three matches this weekend. For his efforts, Knigge was named to the All-Tournament team, along with junior opposite Reno Kriz (Breinigsville, Pa/Parkland).

Stepping Up
Sophomore outside hitter Quinn Rutledge (Chesterfield, VA/Cosby) had a standout weekend for the Brewers, recording eight kills on just nine total swings, hitting a stellar .778 against Staten Island. Rutledge also contributed eight kills and a career-high nine digs against Mount Saint Vincent.

One More Time
Freshman setter Zechariah Lee added to his ace total, recording five aces against Staten Island and three aces against Mount Saint Vincent. Lee now leads the UVC in aces, averaging 0.78 aces per set.
 
Oh, Canada
Senior setter Colin White-Dzuro (Toronto. ON/Royal St. George) had a solid all-around weekend. Against Staten Island, White-Dzuro had 12 assists, two kills, and a season-high three blocks, and followed that up with a season-high 21 assists against Mount Saint Vincent.
 
Complete Newcomer
Freshman outside hitter Jorge Rivera (San Juan, PR/Cupeyville) was as steady as ever for Vassar, contributing a total of 18 kills on a .350 hitting percentage and 11 digs on the weekend, including his 100^th kill of the season. Rivera is currently third on the team with 116 total kills.
 
On The Road Again
The Brewers are currently in the middle of a season-long eight-match road trip, going nearly a month between home games. The team finally returns home on March 7 to take on Nazareth and SUNY New Paltz.
 
Up Next
After Friday's contest, Vassar has their annual alumni game this Saturday in Kenyon Hall starting at 12 p.m. Next week, the Brewers travel back to New York City to take on Hunter on Wednesday, before hosting the second of three UVC crossovers on Saturday, where the team will take on No. 6 Nazareth and No. 3 SUNY New Paltz.