POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 27, 2015) – It's coming down to the wire for the Vassar College men's volleyball team, as the Brewers are right in the mix for a United Volleyball Conference (UVC) playoff berth with three league matches to play. Two come this weekend in Hoboken, New Jersey, taking on host and top-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology along with a must-win match against Penn State-Behrend. The Brewers come into the weekend currently controlling their own destiny, as the one of two remaining teams with three league matches to play.

Match Details
Opponent: vs. Penn State-Behrend (11-12, 1-5 UVC)
Links:  (PSU-Behrend Men's Volleyball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Hoboken, NJ
Facility: Canavan Arena
Date: March 28, 2015
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Twitter Coverage: (@VassarAthletics) (@VassarMensVB)
Live Coverage: (Live Stats)
 
Match Details
Opponent: at No. 1 Stevens (21-4, 6-0 UVC)
Links:  (Stevens Men's Volleyball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Hoboken, NJ
Facility: Canavan Arena
Date: March 28, 2015
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Twitter Coverage: (@VassarAthletics) (@VassarMensVB)
Live Coverage: (Live Stats)
 
What To Look For
Going into the final week of the season for the Vassar College men's volleyball team, the team is still in a tussle for the last playoff spot with both PSU-Behrend and MIT. The Brewers knocked off MIT earlier this month, and still play two teams below them in the standings. MIT has two conference wins with two matches to play against Nazareth and NYU, both ranked opponents. If Vassar ties with MIT in the standings, the Brewers will claim the last playoff spot due to the head-to-head win.
 
If the Brewers can win all three of their remaining UVC matches, VC would remove all doubt, as the four victories would clinch a spot in the tournament, regardless of what MIT does. The big match will come against PSU-B, who is currently a half-game behind VC in the standings, and can still make the tournament with wins over Stevens and VC, along with two losses by MIT to NYU and Naz. If VC wins two more times, but one of the wins isn't to Behrend, and PSU-B gets to three wins, the Lions would earn the last spot in the playoffs due to their win over VC in a tiebreaking scenario. Lots of possibilities with still a lot of volleyball to be played.
A Look At The Lions (11-12, 1-5 UVC)
The Lions come into the week clinging to their playoff hopes, but still within striking distance with a pair of upset wins. Penn State-Behrend is a pretty balanced team when looking at the statistics, especially defensively where the Lions are currently ranked eighth in the country in digs per set with 11.11 a game. Behrend has also held opposition to the second-lowest hitting percentage against in the UVC, as teams are connecting on just .173 of their attacks. The Lions don't accumulate a lot of aces, averaging a league-low one per set, but the scrappy PSU-B team does keep rallies going and scrambles for points well.
 
No Lion ranks in the top 10 in the conference in kills per set, but Trenton Munk is fifth in the UVC in hitting percentage with a .385 percentage. He also paces the team in total terminations, along with chalking the fourth-most rejections in the conference with 1.12 blocks per game. Eric Theiss is the top pin hitter for the Lions, posting 190 kills thus far this season, while Josh Oertly also has 177 finishes from the middle for PSU-B. Setter Mitch Farabaugh has handed out 6.45 assists per set, eighth in the league, and senior libero Derek Polishen is 22^nd in the nation in digs per set with 2.63 a game. Ty Sheehan is also in the top 40 in digs a game with 2.31 ups per set.
 
Potential Starting Lineup: Ty Sheehan (OH), Josh Oertly (MH), Derek Polishen (DS), Mitch Farabaugh (S), Trenton Munk (MH), Eric Theiss (OH).
 
Against PSU-Behrend All-Time
The Brewers have gone 2-1 all-time against the Lions, earning a pair of 3-0 wins in 2012 and 2013, falling in four sets to Penn State-Behrend at Elmira College last year.
 
A Look At The No. 1 Ducks (21-4, 6-0 UVC)
The Ducks of Stevens have been cruising lately, coming into the weekend with a 12-match winning streak, defeating six ranked opponents along that stretch. The Ducks are in the top five in assists per set, kills per set and hitting percentage in the nation. Stevens 13.03 kills per set are second in Division III behind only New Paltz, and their win percentage this year of .840 is third behind just Kean University and New Paltz. The Ducks rank in the top three in seven categories in the UVC, and come in allowing teams just 0.71 aces per set, best in the conference. 
 
The balance of the Ducks is the biggest strength of the top-ranked squad, as Stevens boasts three hitters in the top 10 in the UVC in kills per set. David Evans averages 3.95 terminations per game, while Ryan Seifert averages 3.08 kills a stanza. Former New Paltz standout in transfer Tim Ferriter has made the transition nicely, posting 2.91 kills per set as well to add to the offense. Chris Vaughan has contributed 137 kills in just 48 sets this season, and Kevin Aeckerle and John Eddins have shared setting duties, handing out 501 and 421 assists, respectively. Evans and Seifert have combined for 48 aces this year, and Dylan Schlosser leads the team in digs with 166. The Ducks have probably the deepest team in the nation right now, as Stevens plays 12 players consistently, while last year's UVC  Co-Rookie of the Year and AVCA Second-Team All-American Gabe Shankweiler has played just 12 sets all season.
 
Against Stevens All-Time
Vassar College has played the Ducks 10 times before this season, dating back to 2002, holding a 3-7 record against their conference foe to the south. Stevens holds a four-year winning streak against VC, with Vassar's last win coming in 2010, a 3-0 defeat for the Brewers. Vassar has taken a set off the Ducks in each of the last three seasons.
Just Need One
Freshman Zechariah Lee (Santa Clarita, CA/Saugus) leads NCAA Division III in aces per set with 0.76 a set, currently besting Norrin Martinez of St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) and his 0.75 per game. Lee set the school record for aces last night against Brooklyn College with two more to up his total to 56.
 
Back Row Beast
Sophomore Trey Cimorelli's (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) output this season has been a big boost to the back row defense, ranking in the top 25 nationally in digs per set with 2.52. He is currently fourth in the UVC in the same category.
 
Matty Ice
Freshman Matthew Knigge (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt) is ninth in Division III in hitting percentage so far this season, posting a .399 hitting clip.
 
Double Digits
The Brewers have earned double-digit wins in each of the last eight years, and have a chance this season to post their seventh winning year in the last eight seasons.
 
Busting Out
Sophomore Quinn Rutledge (Chesterfield, VA/Cosby) did not post a single double-digit kill performance over the first 14 matches, but has four of them over the last eight outings, including a 19-kill outburst at MIT.
 
UVC-eptional
This season, the United Volleyball Conference has posted 114 total wins as a conference, which nearly doubles the next highest total of 63 by the Continental Volleyball Conference.
 
Up Next
Vassar finishes UVC play on Wednesday at home April 1 at 7 p.m. in Kenyon Hall against local rival Bard College.