POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 28, 2016) – The Vassar College men's volleyball team will look to continue its hot start this Saturday afternoon, opening its home slate in 2016 with a tri-match against No. 1 Springfield College and Ramapo College. No. 15 Vassar College (4-0) had an eventful week in men's volleyball, earning its first AVCA Top 15 ranking since the 2013 season, while also having the National Player of the Week in sophomore Matt Knigge (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt). VC knocked off two ranked opponents last week, and will have its third opportunity in six matches to earn another win over a team mentioned in the AVCA Top 15 poll.

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Springfield College (5-1)
Links:
(Vassar's Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(Springfield Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Kenyon Hall
Date: January 30, 2016
Time: Noon
Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)

Opponent: vs. Ramapo College (0-2)
Links:
(Vassar's Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
(Ramapo Men's Volleyball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Kenyon Hall
Date: January 30, 2016
Time: 5 p.m.
Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)

What To Look For
The Brewers haven't been ranked since the final poll of the 2013 season, so coming into a big weekend against two strong teams as a ranked team is new territory for all but two players for Vassar. The first test comes in the form of the current top-ranked team in the nation, Springfield College, which hit .347 this season but has since dropped a set in each of its last two matches. If VC can finish offensive possessions quickly and get its transition game going, the Brewers could come away with a huge early season upset. A matchup to watch is at the setter position, as Springfield's Luis Garcia Rubio and Vassar's Zechariah Lee (Santa Clarita, CA/Saugus) are 1-2 in Division III in assists per set.

A Look At The No. 1 Pride (5-1)
Springfield comes into the match 5-1 on the season, falling in five games to Concordia University on January 16, though the Pride have responded well with four straight wins since, including three wins last weekend in Rhode Island against Endicott, Lasell and host Johnson & Wales. The Pride have the nation's top offensive production through the early part of the season, leading NCAA Division III with 13.42 kills per set, while also ranking third in hitting percentage. Defensively, the Pride has been just as strong, adding the 12^th most blocks per set with 2.40 rejections a game. Springfield is still fresh off a tough defeat in the NCAA Division III title game last year, falling to Stevens Institute of Technology.

Junior outside hitter Luis Vega has taken the lead in the Pride attack, totaling 94 kills on the season,  and averaging 3.62 finishes per game. Senior right side Greg Woods is hitting .300 and has pounded home 80 attacks for 3.64 a set, while Julian Welsh-White and Joseth Irizarry Feliciano have each been great in the middle for Springfield, each hitting over .500 on the season. Welsh-White leads the team in total blocks with 21, and Ricardo Padilla Ayala adds 75 kills, 39 digs and a team-leading 20 service aces. As stated earlier, the offense goes through setter Luis Garcia Rubio, as he has dished out 309 assists, nearly 12 per set.

Against Springfield All-Time
The Brewers have taken on Springfield 40 previous times in the series history, and the Pride have earned all but two of those 40 outings. Vassar's first win came in 2001, with its only other victory coming in 2002. Since then, VC has dropped its last 24 matches with the Pride.

A Look At The Roadrunners (0-2)
The Roadrunners of Ramapo College started their season last weekend in Elmira, NY, falling to No. 12 Elmira in three games before dropping a five-set thriller to No. 15 Mount St. Joseph. Ramapo was supposed to take on No. 7 Juniata College last Saturday, but Winter Storm Jonas axed the contest after blanketing the Northeast in snow. Ramapo comes into the weekend with the Skyline Conference's top digs per set ranking, ranking 24^th nationally with 9.13 digs per game. The Roadrunners are hitting .144 as a squad this season, while the 9.25 kills per set are 39^th nationally and second in the Skyline.

Justin Feigeles has a team-high 22 kills so far through two matches for Ramapo, leading the team with 2.75 finishes per set. Paul Close has added 14 kills, while Jordan Elam has contributed 11 terminations as well. Nick AMs leads the team in hitting percentage with a .318 clip, while Mikhael Erushalimski is dishing out 6.75 assists per set. Feigeles has three of the team's six service aces this season, and Spencer Shickora has a team-leading 23 digs this year. Nick Amos has blocked seven total attacks, which leads Ramapo so far this season.

Against Ramapo All-Time
The Brewers have earned wins in 15 of the 21 all-time meetings with the Roadrunners. The series though has changed momentum over the last few seasons, as Ramapo has chalked up three straight wins while Vassar has earned just two games during that three-game skid to the Roadrunners.

Balance Key
The Brewers have had solid balance across the front line, as six players currently have double-digit kills through the first weekend of action.

Century Man
Senior right side Reno Kriz (Breinigsville, PA/Parkland) earned his 1000^th career kill in a win over No. 11 Kean University last weekend. .

Excellent Efficiency
The Brewers are fifth in the country right now in hitting percentage, finishing .292 of the attacks this season. Leading the way for VC is Matt Knigge, ranked third in Division III in hitting percentage with a .593 clip.

Man Of The Year
Sophomore Matt Knigge earned the Brewer's first AVCA National Player of the Year award since 2010, when former All-American Phil Tully picked up the award March 1, 2010.

Heading To Reno
Senior Reno Kriz is 15^th in the Division III rankings in kills per set with 3.57 per set, while his points per set are also 15^th in the country.

De-Fense!!
The Brewers are holding opponents to just .114 hitting at the net, which leads the United Volleyball Conference. Also, the 8.14 kills per set for opposition are also the best in the conference, as the 8.80 from Nazareth is second-best.

More Than One
Vassar is still looking to get on track from the service line, as its 16 kills and 1.14 per set is seventh in the UVC.

Up Next
Vassar will host Purchase College Wednesday evening, February 3 at 7 p.m. in Kenyon Hall in the final game of a short three-game home stand.